


Losing My Religion (until I come up with a better one)

by Remlundskan



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bullying, Drama, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Foreign Exchange Student, Gay Sex, Jealousy, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Multi, Straight Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Vikings as seniors, Welcome to a typical high school in Scandinavia, modern day AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:25:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7491567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remlundskan/pseuds/Remlundskan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Athelstan is a foreign Exchange student coming to Scandinavia and learns a lot... not necessarily in school, though. When the two most popular kids take you under their wings, all you can do is hold on for the ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All events featured in this story have actually taken place at my own high school many years ago. And yes, most of us did act like this. And yes, there was a king and queen! Not so sure about the exchange students, though :P

Ragnar hated algebra! He hated math in general, but algebra was just a complete waste of his time. When was he gonna use algebra in his everyday life? A quick look to his left told him that his girlfriend Lagertha was thinking the exact same thing. She seemed more interested in something she found under her nail. As soon as the teacher turned his back on them, Ragnar sent a quick text to her. ‘Quickie?’

Lagertha snorted when she read his text and their teacher gave her a look.

“Something you want to share with the rest of us, Lagertha?” she asked, causing both Ragnar and Lagertha to give naughty grins. Now that would be something for the faculty to talk about.

“No, I was just thinking about something funny!” Lagertha said, and then looked over at Ragnar and gave a nod. She was up for it. All he had to do was make the arrangements.

Ragnar looked to his right, to get Floki’s attention. For everything to work, he needed his wingman to create a diversion, and if there was one thing that Floki was good at, it was diversions. Trouble seemed to follow that guy wherever he went and right now, that’s exactly what Ragnar needed. He put down his pencil on his desk a bit harder than usual, which made Floki look up and as soon as their eyes met, Ragnar raised his eyebrow at him, for no more than a second. He could tell that without even knowing any details or why Ragnar needed his assistance, Floki was already working on a plan.

Ragnar really loved Floki, they were closer than brothers. And Ragnar knew this for a fact, because he was much closer to Floki than to his own brother. But that wasn’t his fault; that was just because Rollo was such a big pain in the ass. Floki, although he was completely crazy, had been Ragnar’s best friend since they were five.

Sure enough, not thirty seconds later, Floki sprang into action, and quite literally, too. He jumped up on his desk and took out something from his pocket. Ragnar couldn’t quite make out what it was, but next thing he knew, Floki took out his lighter and set fire to the thing in his other hand, which Ragnar now realized were firecrackers, and threw it on the floor.

In the complete chaos that followed, Ragnar and Lagertha easily slipped out and, hand-in-hand, they ran together through the hall, and out into the fresh air.

“He’s gonna get his ass kicked out one of these days!” Lagertha pointed out, her voice loud to make him hear her over the fire alarm, but her face was glowing with excitement and Ragnar just laughed.

“That crazy fucker? No chance, he’ll find a way out of this one as well, he always does. You ready?”

Lagertha looked over at the little convenience store across the road.

“Hell yeah!” She said. Ragnar gave her a hard kiss, and together, they sneaked off to do a little raid.

All in all, their little shoplifting adventure took no less than 47 seconds. It wasn’t the first time they did it, and they both knew what they were after. In and out, clean and perfect, no fuss, no muss, and no one even saw them coming or going.

It was when they were heading back to school, their loot safely hidden in their pockets, when they heard it. Someone was singing. It was Lagertha who noticed it first and she stopped, her grip on Ragnar’s hand forcing him to stop as well. Normally, Lagertha wasn’t one to just stop and listen to every Tom, Dick and Harry that she heard singing on the street, but something in this song made her pause, so Ragnar listened.

It was the voice of a young man, and it was soft and alluring, almost drawing them to him. At first, they couldn’t see him, and then, there he was, as if appearing by magic. He was sitting on a bench not six feet away from them, his head bent over a book, the earplugs in his ears indicating that he was listening to music and singing along, lost in a world of his own. They couldn’t see his face, a thick mop of black curls covered it from view, but they heard him, loud and clear.

He still hadn’t noticed that he was watched, and both Ragnar and Lagertha felt a strange desire to protect him. From what, they didn’t know, they just felt that this young boy needed protection, somehow. And they should be the ones to provide it. It was a bit weird, this feeling, but it was too overwhelming for either of them to ignore. They didn't even know him!

A sharp bell from school brought them back to the present, and Ragnar blinked, as if waking up from a dream. Still holding on to Lagertha’s hand, he started walking back towards the school, Lagertha having no choice but to follow him.

“Who was that?” she asked as they walked across the school yard, hundreds of students pouring out like ants from an anthill.

“No idea!” Ragnar replied, his eyes scanning the ants to see if he could find Floki somewhere. He soon located Floki’s beautiful girlfriend, Helga, but not a sign of his wingman. “What happened to Floki, you think?”

“He probably got sent to the principal! There’s Helga! –Helga!”

“Hey!” Helga said as she came towards them. “Did you guys hear the news? Floki just texted me. Some foreign kid is coming to our school from England. He’s some sort of… foreign exchange student or something like that. Apparently, all the teachers are talking about it. Floki said they can’t seem to shut up about it.”

“How is he?”

“Oh, he’s fine! He’ll be back after lunch. Probably playing the crazy-card again. ‘The voices made me do it’!” She smiled as she said it, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Ragnar looked over at Lagertha, who nodded. She had seen the same thing.

“So, when’s this foreign kid coming, then? The day’s almost over!”

“Floki said that he was supposed to be here this morning. Apparently, he’s really shy and he has no family or anything here.”

“That must suck! Oh, here!” Lagertha reached inside her pocket and pulled out a magazine. “Latest issue, I remembered you said you wanted it!”

Helga beamed at her as she accepted the gift. 90 % of the students all seemed to think that Ragnar and Lagertha were the king and queen of the whole school, so naturally, they acted accordingly. Sure, there were those who didn’t like the ‘popular kids’, and there were even those who tried to get Ragnar and his friends into trouble, every chance they got, but so far, Ragnar and his queen reigned supreme.

Pretty soon, when it was clear that there was no danger, the students were sent back to their class rooms. Neither Ragnar nor Lagertha was looking forward to it, and Floki’s absence when they sat down make Ragnar feel a few seconds of guilt. Floki was in trouble because of him. He made a vow to make it up to his friend, first chance he got.

Their teacher had barely started talking again, when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!”

The door opened and suddenly, there was no air left in Ragnar’s lungs. He literally forgot how to breathe. Standing in front of the class was the boy they had seen earlier, the one who had been singing on the park bench. Only now, they could see his face, two impossibly big dark eyes, completely surrounded by those thick, black curls…

He was an angel!

Ragnar wasn’t religious, not a lot of people in this country were, to be honest, but he would bet his entire family fortune, if he’d had any, that this boy was an angel, descended from heaven to walk among the mortals.

And there was something else, too. That boy was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, in his entire life. Now, Ragnar wasn’t one to broadcast his bisexuality to people, mainly because while he knew perfectly well that he liked guys as well as girls, he had never actually met a guy that he felt any real attraction towards.

He did now, though. He could literally feel his palms become sweaty and there was a big lump in his throat, making it hard to swallow. And oh, boy, that wasn't the only thing that was hard. Not even his love for Lagertha had ever felt like this. And he did love Lagertha, with his whole heart.

“Ah, there you are, welcome”, Leif said and extended his hand towards the newcomer. “It’s… Athelstane, right?”

“Athelstan, sir!” the boy corrected, in a soft voice and Ragnar was sure he heard quite a few of the girls in class sigh appreciatively. "The... The 'E' is silent!"

“Of course, Athelstan! Is this your first visit to Scandinavia?”

Athelstan shook his head gently.

“No, sir! I came here when I was a young boy, about… ten years ago. That was just as a tourist, though, we... my father and I, we only stayed for a few days.”

Ragnar had already known that his voice was soft, he had heard him sing, but hearing him speak was so different. It felt like he could listen to Athelstan talk for hours.

“Well, let’s see if we can find you a seat, shall we?”

And Ragnar didn’t even think; he just acted. It was just too perfect; he had an empty seat right next him.

“He can sit here! Next to me!” he said, loud and clear.

Again, there were gasps all through the classroom, but this time, it was definitely shock at what they were hearing. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that Lagertha was staring at him, and probably a few others as well. And fine, yes; the seat next to Ragnar was Floki’s seat, everyone knew that, it had always been like that, but Floki wasn’t here right now, was he? And that boy, that... angel needed somewhere to sit. So why not take advantage of the situation?

“Perfect!” Leif said and pointed, needlessly, towards Ragnar. “Go sit next to Ragnar!”

Athelstan looked over at Ragnar and for one perfect, shining moment, their eyes met.

Ragnar knew, in that moment, that he would give his life to protect this boy.

As he watched the boy walk towards him, incapable of taking his eyes off this preternatural beauty, he suddenly felt Lagertha’s hand on his thigh and her lips were on his ear:

“Close your mouth, dear!”

Ragnar blinked, he had not been aware that his mouth was open. In his defense, though, he had never seen anything as exquisite as Athelstan, and it was only logical to gape at something so gorgeous

Athelstan sat down next to him, giving him a shy smile, but his eyes were a bit wary and Ragnar realized that to him, Ragnar probably looked like a hungry wolf, ready to strike.

“Please, don’t kill me!” he semi-joked, in that soft voice and Ragnar couldn’t help but smile at him. Oh, this was going to be so much fun. He wondered if he was licking his lips or if that was just in his head, but judging by the way Athelstan stared at him, he might have actually done it.

This boy fascinated him to no end.

“I am Ragnar!” he said. And then, as if on afterthought, he raised his voice to attract the attention of his teacher. “Hey, Leif!”

Athelstan looked positively aghast as if Ragnar had just committed a horrible sin, but Leif simply turned around and looked at Ragnar.

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t Athelstan have a book? And a notebook? It’s a bit hard to learn anything just by listening to you and not write it down. We’re bright young minds, dude, we’re not wizards.”

Leif shook his head, smiling.

“I forgot about that! I’ll go get an extra. –Athelstan, why don’t you borrow Ragnar’s book in the meantime? There are notebooks up here on the desk if you need one.”

Athelstan’s eyes moved rapidly from Ragnar to Leif and back to Ragnar. He seemed stunned at the way Ragnar spoke to the teacher. And as soon as Leif had closed the door, he asked:

“Won’t you get in trouble for disrespecting your teacher that way?”

“Who-Leif?" Ragnar frowned as if he didn't really understand the question. "He can be a pain, but he’s cool, they all are. I heard you sing! Earlier, on the bench outside school.”

Athelstan blushed fiercely, something Ragnar found absolutely adorable. He wondered what else he could say or do to make the other boy blush, and a thousand wicked ideas immediately came to mind. He turned his head slightly and found Lagertha watching him. She looked stern, but there was a definite twinkle in her eyes. Ragnar took her hand and pulled her closer.

“Athelstan, this is Lagertha, my glorious queen. Anything you want to know, just ask me or her, we’re gonna help you.”

“You look like you can’t tell left from right anymore, Althie", Lagertha said, giving the boy a warm smile, "I’m guessing it’s all a bit different from what you are used to.”

“It’s like two different worlds!” Athelstan admitted. If he had any sort of reaction to Lagertha inventing pet name for him, he didn’t show it. But he turned an ever darker shade of red as she smiled at him. Ragnar’s wicked mind supplied him with even more lovely schemes and plans that now involved his girlfriend as well.

Leif soon returned, holding up a book that he gave to Athelstan, who said ‘thank you sir’ like a proper little gentleman. Just hearing those words from that mouth, it sent Ragnar's hormones racing. This guy was going to drive him crazy, Ragnar could already tell that his whole world had turned upside down. Being in such close proximity to this angel was having all sorts of effects on him, one of which was starting to become seriously uncomfortable.

The fact that he was sitting next to his girlfriend and got an erection from someone else wasn't lost on him and his heart started beating faster. He loved Lagertha, and she knew that, but he was willing to bet his non-existing family fortune that she had never seen him react like this to anyone that wasn’t her. And no matter how awesome and cool and open she was, he was still her boyfriend, they were the unofficial king and queen among the other students, and he was getting all worked up over a beautiful boy.

Terrified that she might notice, he pushed his chair back and his shirt down, to cover up his predicament. And then he walked out of the classroom with as much dignity that he could muster and all but ran towards the closest bathroom he could find, got inside, slammed the door shut, locked it, and opened his pants. He was so hard it almost hurt and he was leaking pre-cum all over himself. Swearing, he grabbed his cock and rubbed it furiously, seeing nothing but Athelstan’s big eyes, so filled with wonder… so beautiful…

And that’s when he heard someone knocking on the door.

“Come on, Lothbrok, open up, I know you’re in there!”

Lagertha. Panting, Ragnar tried to think up an excuse, but all he could think of was:

“I'm in the little boys' room!”

“It’s unisex, asshole!” Lagertha reminded him. Ragnar actually stopped and unlocked the door.

“Since when?” he asked, his brain not fully functioning. Her smile turned feral as she pushed herself inside the stall, closing the door behind her.

“Since always!” she said, already working on pulling down his pants, and then pushing him down to sit on the toilet. “You think I couldn’t smell you?” she asked as she lifted her skirt and pulled down her silk panties. “You were eye-fucking him from the second he walked in!” She spread her legs and sat down on his lap, guiding his aching cock inside her, making them both moan out loud. “I couldn’t get it out of my head!” she whispered as she moved up and down on him. “The thought of you and him, together, it was so fucking hot, I couldn’t stand it… And I knew he was getting to you, it was all over your face… You wanted to fuck that pretty mouth of his, didn’t you?”

He had never been able to lie to her, and it seemed foolish to do so in their current situation.

“Yes!”

She whimpered softly as he got with the program and started thrusting inside her, biting her hard nipple through her shirt. Now that he knew that she was on board, he told her everything, all his schemes and plans, the ones involving him and Athelstan, the ones that involved her, the ones that involved all three of them.

“Imagine” she moaned, “if he were standing outside… right now… listening… He would hear you…”

At that, Ragnar just moaned out loud, the thought of Athelstan listening in on them was almost too much for him. The thought of Athelstan joining them sneaked up on him before he could prepare himself and he started fucking her even harder, momentarily forgetting who it was that he was pushing into. Soon, he stopped talking altogether and just grunted out noises that in no way resembled actual words, but it was barely audible under Lagertha’s loud moans as she came, riding his cock like a cowgirl at a rodeo, causing him to explode inside her.

They stayed for a few minutes to catch their breaths, smiling at each other. They were going to take Athelstan under their wings. The whole school would know that Athelstan was under their protection.

“Floki’s gonna lose his shit, you know!” Lagertha pointed out as she started putting her panties back on. Ragnar nodded and buttoned his pants. He was well aware of this.

“I’ll fix it!” he said. And then, he pulled her close for one last kiss.

“I love you!”

He nodded.

"Me too!" he said, smiling at her.

She smiled, that special smile that she reserved only for him, and left the stall. Ragnar stayed for a few minutes, just to be on the safe side.

Life was starting to get really interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

At the end of the day, both Lagertha and Ragnar had stayed close to Athelstan, giving him a tour of the place and as they were slowly walking together, Athelstan placed between the king and queen, it occurred to Lagertha to ask their new friend:

“Where are you staying? We’ll take you home!”

“Oh, that’s… really not necessary, I can manage”, Athelstan protested, but Ragnar joined his girlfriend with a quick:

“Of course we are, you don’t know the streets yet and some of the names can be confusing. We’re your guides, Althie, whatever you need, just ask. So, where are you staying?”

Athelstan turned an impossibly beautiful shade of red.

“I… don’t really have a place… yet. I only just arrived this morning and…”

Lagertha stopped short, staring at him.

“You don’t have a place to live?”

“Well… the principal said that I was more than welcome to stay with him, so I was actually…”

“Principal Ecbert? ‘Icky’ wanted you to stay with him?!” Ragnar and Lagertha exchanged a look. They didn’t like the sound of that. The principal was nicknamed ‘Icky’ for a reason. He had way too much power for a man who was so… well… icky. There was no way that Lagertha was gonna let him get his filthy paws all over their sweet, innocent Althie.

“Nonsense!” Ragnar said, giving Athelstan a big smile. “You can stay with me, we have plenty of guestrooms. It’s better that you stay with someone your own age… Don’t you think?”

Athelstan looked at them both, as if he was trying to determine whether or not they were trustworthy, and then he sighed and nodded, but the grateful look in his eyes told them that they had made the right decision.

“Yes, I will gladly come with you!” he said and Ragnar had to swallow to get rid of the lump in his throat. ‘No one will lay a finger on you, Athelstan, I will protect you with my life!’ he thought to himself, and wondered at the very next second what had caused him to think such a thing.

“Good! Then it’s settled! Where are your bags?”

When Athelstan informed them that his bags were still at the bus station, Lagertha told him to leave them until tomorrow. The poor boy looked absolutely horrified.

“But what if someone steals them?”

“At the bus station? Oh, you sweet boy…”

“Trust me, your bags couldn’t be more safe if they were locked away at Fort Knox. I know this is all terribly confusing, but you’ll get used to it.”

When they reached Ragnar’s house, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand, as if showing off his kingdom.

“You live here now!” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “This… is your world from now on!”

Even though Ragnar’s house wasn’t all that big, it was really beautiful and Ragnar made sure to point out both the apple tree and the plum tree and the bushes with raspberries and redcurrants and blackcurrants and the strawberry field. It had been a dream growing up in this house and Ragnar wanted nothing more than for Athelstan to feel that too.

They barely had time to enjoy any of it, though, because suddenly, the front door flew open and Rollo came out.

“Oh yeah, one more thing, I live with a raging bear!” Ragnar managed to stage whisper to Athelstan before Rollo came up to them.

“Hey, maggot, you found yourself a new friend?”

“This is Athelstan! He’s from England! He didn’t have a place to stay, so I told him he could stay with us.”

“What-here? Are you stupid or something? Listen, retard, we barely have room enough as it is and you decide to take in strays? You know nothing about him, he could be a serial killer. –Hey, Lags, when are you gonna ditch this asshole and spend some time with a real man, huh?”

Lagertha’s smile was as cold as a snake, but she didn’t say anything. Ragnar knew her well enough to know that inside, she was seething with anger. His brother had always been a bully, that was no secret, but the part that made Ragnar really dislike him, what made him feel something akin to actual hate for his brother, was the fact that Rollo, quite openly, always made lewd suggestions and propositions at Lagertha, flirting outrageously with her, even with Ragnar standing right beside her. They were separated by three years, but sometimes, it felt like decades.

“And what about you?” Rollo suddenly asked, his piercing eyes zeroing in on Athelstan. As one, Ragnar and Lagertha took a step closer to their new friend. If Rollo wanted a piece of their Althie, he would have to go through them, and he would lose limbs doing so.

Rollo looked at them, frowning, as they so obviously tried to protect the strange boy with the black curly hair and of course, being Rollo, he immediately saw a great opportunity to mess with his brother.

“I was just asking the boy a question, maggot, just wanted to welcome him to our country. Of course he can stay with us. We need someone to clean the house for us.”

“Rollo…” Ragnar started, a warning in his tone, but Rollo went on:

“No, wait, this is perfect! He gets to stay, and we get a clean house! –Hey, new kid, what’s your name?”

“Athelstan! And I will of course help out, as a thank you for letting me stay here.”

Ragnar sighed and Lagertha rolled her eyes. Athelstan was way too good and way too trusting. He would get eaten alive if they didn’t keep a close eye on him. Rollo would turn him into a house slave, they were sure of that.

“Great!” Ragnar said, grabbing Athelstan by the arm and all but dragged him away from the big bear that was his brother. “We have a lot of studying to do! –Come on!” he then said to Lagertha, who was busy staring at Rollo. If looks could kill, Ragnar was sure that Rollo would be a pile of dust by now. Lagertha took one step closer to Rollo, still glaring at him and said, in a low hiss:

“You hurt him, and I will cut your dick off with a dull knife!”

Rollo looked a bit taken aback and Lagertha used that to turn and join her two boys, that waited for her by the front door.

“What did you say?” Ragnar asked as they walked inside the house.

“I told him I would cut his dick off with a dull knife if he laid so much as a finger on you!” Lagertha said, her eyes on Athelstan, leaving no doubt as to who she was talking about. Athelstan, however, looked really confused.

“Why?” he asked, his soft voice even softer and it almost broke her heart. She smiled at him. In truth, she didn't even know what had possessed her to say such a thing. But she had meant it, every single word.

“Pay no attention to my brother!” Ragnar cut in, before Lagertha had a chance to speak. “He is just a bully, he likes to torture people like that. Don’t worry, while you are here, no one will ever hurt you! I will protect you!”

“Why?” Athelstan asked again. “You… He is right, you don’t know me, you don’t know anything about me, why would… Are all people in Scandinavia like this?”

“The ones with any brain cells and common sense, yeah!” Ragnar shrugged. “So what if we don’t know anything about you, we have plenty of time to find out. We could start right now.”

“Exactly! Tell us about yourself, Althie!”

Athelstan looked towards the front door, as if he thought that Rollo would come rushing in at any given moment. Ragnar flung an arm around his shoulders.

“It’s Wednesday! He’s got football practice. You guys have football in England, right?” He raised an eyebrow to show Athelstan that he was teasing and was rewarded with a smile. Seeing him smile made Ragnar’s insides get all fluttery and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from making any embarrassing noises. This guy really was one of a kind, Ragnar had never met anyone like him. He was so innocent and so… Ragnar struggled to find a word that wasn’t ‘pure’, but find none.

“Are you a virgin?” He asked, before he could stop himself. Lagertha snorted and Athelstan turned that adorable shade of red again.

“What?”

“Ragnar!” Lagertha admonished, but he could see the spark of interest in her eyes. And then, not missing a beat, she turned them towards Athelstan and asked: “Are you?”

“I… You don’t go for the easy questions, do you?”

“Fine, we’ll do it your way!” Ragnar grinned at him and for the next twenty minutes or so, him and Lagertha grilled Athelstan for information. They asked about his family, his friends, his hobbies, and in turn, told him a bit about them and what they liked to do.

And then, right out of the blue, Lagertha turned towards Athelstan.

“So, you like boys or girls?”

Athelstan’s eyes became ten times bigger as he stared at her. He probably wasn’t used to girls being so forward about… well, anything, really. That was about to change, Lagertha decided as she waited for him to answer.

“Wait, what… What happened to the easy questions?”

“We’ve done that! I wanna know the big ones now!”

“Oh… ok…”

“Have you ever been with anyone, Althie? Or have you been living like a monk over there in England?”

“I… There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin!”

“Absolutely not!” Lagertha agreed

“But you have at least spanked the monkey every now and then, right? Or are you one of those ‘my body is not an amusement park’ people?”

“I don’t…”

“Oh wow, you really have been living like a priest, haven’t you?” Ragnar was getting more and more intrigued by this wonderful human being, sitting in front of him. His fingers were itching to find out what made Athelstan really go off.

“I might be a virgin, but I’m not insane! Of course I have… now and then…”

Ragnar scooted a bit closer, not even looking at Lagertha, even though he knew that she was right there, watching him work his magic on Athelstan.

“And… when you do…” Ragnar lowered his voice, forcing Athelstan to move closer to be able to hear him. “…do you think about boys or girls?”

Athelstan looked down at his hands. Ragnar could see the light tremors, but it was too late to back down now, he had come this far. He needed an answer.

“… both…” It wasn’t more than a whisper, but since both Ragnar and Lagertha had been holding their breaths, waiting for the answer, they heard it as loud and clear as if he had screamed it out loud.

Ragnar grinned at him.

“See? That wasn't so hard was it? Or.... Maybe that was a poor choice of words!" He snickered at what he had said and Lagertha giggled. "Looks like you’ve got a few dark secrets, preacher!”

“Don’t call me that!” Athelstan muttered, his face red. Ragnar was still grinning.

“It’s a compliment, my little priest!” he said.

“Somehow it doesn’t feel like a compliment!” Athelstan kept his eyes to the ground, as if he was afraid to face them.

Lagertha scooted a bit closer to their new friend.

“Althie…” she said, her voice kind, almost motherly. “You do know there’s nothing wrong with that, right?” When he looked up to her, she smiled gently and went on: “Having thoughts like that, I mean. It’s a perfectly normal, beautiful thing. You have nothing to be ashamed of. 90 % of the world’s population is bisexual. I am too!” And at the surprised look on his face, she couldn’t help but add “So is Ragnar!”

Athelstan whipped his head around to stare at Ragnar, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s too much beauty in the world, priest, a man can’t turn a blind eye to half of it, can he?”

Athelstan looked positively flabbergasted. Lagertha placed a calming hand on his shoulder and Ragnar did the same on his other shoulder. It was painfully obvious to them both that this blushing virgin needed more than their protection. He needed their guidance.

“We can help you, Athelstan!” Ragnar told him, his voice turning low and seductive as he moved in even closer to the other boy. Athelstan’s big eyes were still staring at him and they were just so… big, and deep and Ragnar’s insides were shaking. He was seriously drawn to this boy, it was like he was physically incapable to stop touching him. “What do you say?” He looked over at his girlfriend. He wasn’t planning on a full scale seduction, at least not the very first day, but he wanted Athelstan to know the score, that Ragnar was willing to explore certain… things with him.

“Yeah…” Lagertha’s voice had dropped as well, her hand on his shoulder started caressing his arm. “Won't you come join us… priest!” But her eyes were full of mischief as she met Ragnar’s. He was so precious, this boy, they were going to have so much fun with him. She could already see what they could do together, they could conquer the world, the three of them. All they needed was for Althie to accept them.

As quickly as they had started, they stopped, both of them grinning at him. Athelstan looked from one to the other, slightly confused, and a bit flustered, but definitely with careful interest in his eyes. He might consider them rude or pushy, or maybe even that they were coming on too strong, but there was also disappointment. If that was disappointment that they came on to him or that they stopped was impossible to tell, but Ragnar took it as a victory.

A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

They spent the following hours just enjoying Athelstan’s company. He told them that people back home were neither as open or as open minded as Ragnar and Lagertha seemed to be and they, in turn, told him that a lot of things were different in this country and he was about to find that out.

Athelstan had another chock when Lagertha decided that it would be best that she stayed the night, just to make sure that Rollo didn’t get any stupid ideas about using Athelstan as a house slave. She simply texted her mother, telling her that she was staying at Ragnar’s. Her mother texted a ‘Behave yourself, I love you’ back.

“She’s just gonna let you spend the night here?!”

“What? It’s Ragnar! Mom loves him! Plus, I’m two months away from turning 18. I’ll be considered an adult in the eyes of the law. Anyway, why shouldn’t I be allowed to sleep here? It’s not like our relationship is a secret, everyone knows that we’re a couple, everyone knows that we belong together…”

“And yet, you have no problem coming on to me!” Athelstan pointed out.

“Yeah, and I think you noticed that it was a joint effort", Ragnar pointed out in return, "we were both coming on to you.”

“Look, we’re not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything like that, but I think it’s safe to say that we both find you really… really attractive.”

“More like insanely gorgeous!” Ragnar added.

“Good enough to eat!”

“With a spoon!”

“And whipped cream!”

“But! We’re not gonna force you into anything that you don’t wanna do. You will come to us when you are ready.”

Athelstan didn’t say anything for a few very long seconds. Lagertha had never been a very patient person, and neither was her boyfriend, so it was really hard for them to just sit there and wait. But they knew that someone who wait for something good never waits too long, and so, they waited.

After a while, Athelstan took a deep breath.

“Do I have to answer right away?”

“When you’re ready!” Ragnar promised.

“Is it true that you are considered a legal adult when you turn 18 in this country?”

“Yep! Why, isn't it the same where you come from?”

“Well... no... But that's not the point, I... Everything here, it's all so different... You don't even have school uniforms!”

"Good gods, no, why should we?" Lagertha shuddered at the thought and Ragnar agreed with her.

"We don't wear school uniforms, because here, you can wear what you like. I would suffocate in a school uniform!"

"Having to wear exactly the same clothes as everybody else... Forcing all the girls to wear skirts? What if I want to wear pants one day? Or a dress? Or really tight, really short shorts? Nope, I'm calling William Wallace on that one!"

Athelstan frowned a bit, and then, suddenly, he smiled brightly.

"Freeeeeeedom!" he said, making Lagertha nod and giggle like a little girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Floki, just like Lagertha had predicted, did lose his shit. Ragnar and Lagertha had kept a close eye on Athelstan all morning, standing up for him when Rollo had demanded that Athelstan fixed them some breakfast. They had walked with him over to the bus station, to collect his things, and when they got to school, Ragnar insisted that Athelstan sat down next to him, like he did yesterday. He wanted to keep him close by. Also, it was a lot easier to send him secret notes and gently touch his thigh if they sat next to each other.

He had left his seat for just a few seconds, to go pick up a book from the teacher’s desk. And during those few seconds, Floki showed up. And saw someone sitting in what everyone at school considered ‘Floki’s spot’. Flokis’s spot was next to Ragnar, the way it had always been, but now, suddenly, there was a complete stranger sitting where he was supposed to sit. Since he was Ragnar’s wingman, his right hand man, his bestest bud, Floki naturally assumed that the imposter was unaware of the unwritten rule he was now violating.

“HEY!”

He walked over to the stranger, already guessing that this was the new kid that Helga had told him about as they skyped last night. Really cute, she had said, black hair and seemingly very shy, that’s what she had said. Well, Floki knew exactly how do deal with newcomers who trespassed on his turf.

“You need to get out of that chair right now!” he said, putting on his scariest, craziest look. It always worked. It worked this time too, New Kid got up immediately and was about to say something, when two voices called out at once:

“Althie!” from Lagertha and, even more surprising:

“Floki!” in a warning tone, from Ragnar. Floki looked at his two friends. Something was wrong, he could sense it. Helga had said that Ragnar had invited New Kid to sit with him, but Floki had dismissed it as nothing more than a mistake. It was probably the teacher who made New Kid sit next to Ragnar and Ragnar had no choice but to obey. Sure, Helga had also said that both Lagertha and Ragnar had seemed really interested in New Kid, she had even seen the three of them walk together after school. And Lagertha hadn’t answered any of her texts, Helga had said. But Floki had dismissed it, because he knew Lagertha, she was head over heels for Ragnar, she would never even look at another dude. And he knew Ragnar better than anyone, they had known each other since they were five, they were brothers.

"Ragnar, what is this? And what is it doing on my spot?"

To his amazement, Ragnar turned to the black haired boy, holding out his arm towards Floki.

"Athelstan, come! This is Floki, the best friend a guy can have. He is bat shit crazy, but don't hold that against him. -Floki... This is Athelstan! He's from England. He's staying with me and Rollo, so I am showing him the do's and don't's around here."

Floki studied New Kid... Athelstan, apparently, his name was, and found that he didn't like him. There was something about him that rubbed Floki the wrong way. He wasn't buying that shy, innocent look, not at all. This guy was nothing but trouble for Ragnar, Floki could feel it in his bones. But Ragnar was his best friend, his brother, so Floki just said:

"I see! And where am I supposed to sit while you... guide this poor boy?"

Ragnar looked around, thinking and Floki realised that Ragnar had not even thought about that. He had been too wrapped up in the New Kid. Even Lagertha seemed entranced by Athelstan, she barely took her eyes away from him. What the fuck was wrong with these people, why were they so into this dude? There was nothing special about him, not that Floki could see.

It was obvious that he was going to have to keep a close eye on New Kid. Sooner or later, Floki would find out his secret, and when he did... He would make sure that everyone found out about it! It was his duty to keep Ragnar safe from harm's way. And he would do whatever it took to keep Ragnar safe.

The weird behavior in Ragnar didn’t stop there. Floki noticed a change in him right away and it only got more and more strange as the hours passed. Ragnar and Lagertha were a couple of badasses, everyone at school knew that. They were nice to their friends, sure, and if you treated them with respect, you got respect in return, but at heart, they were a couple of badasses. They always had something wicked up their sleeves, either to fuck with the faculty or just to brighten an otherwise boring day.

Today, though, there were no shenanigans, no messing with the teachers, they weren’t even involved in some heavy petting behind the bushes.

No, they were sitting, on a bench with that new kid between them…. Talking! Not even that, the new kid seemed to do all the talking, Ragnar and Lagertha just sat there and listened and… watched him.

It was uncanny, Floki thought, as he saw the way they were hanging on his every word. Sometimes, they would laugh incredulously, but mostly, they just sat close… way too close for comfort, in Floki’s opinion… and listened as the new kid talked.

Floki didn’t like it. He didn’t like what this new guy was doing to his friends. And he absolutely did not like the way Ragnar was looking at his new friend. The term ‘eye-fucking’ came to mind, and it was messing with Floki’s already messed-up brain. For as long as he had known Ragnar, there had never been any doubt in his mind that Ragnar worshipped Lagertha like a goddess, so why was he sitting on that bench, looking like he was mentally undressing the new kid with his eyes?

Helga stood right next to him, and she was saying something, but Floki wasn’t paying attention. He was busy staring at the obscenity that was happening right before his very eyes. Gods, even Lagertha was looking at that kid like she wanted nothing more than to straddle him and ride him like some damn cowgirl, right there, in front of the whole school.

And it didn’t stop there!

In class, the trio quickly made sure that they were all sitting together, leaving Floki, who always, *always* sat next to Ragnar in class, to find himself a seat in the back corner of the room. The teacher didn’t say a word about it. To be perfectly honest, Floki wasn’t sure that she had even noticed. She kept on talking, as if this was just another day, and the world hadn’t just been flipped upside down.

He had already decided that he didn’t like these new turn of events, but it was what happened during lunch that really tipped the scale for him.

Ragnar had a posse! No one really talked about it, no one even called it that, but it was, for all intents and purposes, a posse, of his closest friends who followed him if he asked them to, and partied with him, and defended him when the need arose. Floki was part of that posse, had been for several years. At lunch, they would all sit together, like royalty, and discuss whatever was happening in the world, or whatever was important enough to discuss that day.

Floki got his lunch (it was meatloaf today, the lunch lady informed him, did he want any sauce with it or just the potatoes and the vegetables?), )took his food and went to their usual table, where some of the others had already gathered. He sat down at his usual place, and waited for their king and queen to arrive.

Which they soon did… with the new kid still between them. It was like someone had clued them all together and they didn’t know how to get unstuck.

Wide-eyed, Floki saw Lagertha grab an extra chair as they approached the table and she placed I right beside Floki, not even looking at him. The three of them then sat down, together, Ragnar in the middle this time, and Lagertha on his left side, as always. But on his right was the new kid.

Athelstan!

Sitting comfortably right next to Ragnar, where Floki used to be. Where Floki was supposed to be!

Floki was so mad; he was seething. This was outrageous! This, this… intruder just showed up out of nowhere and suddenly, it was as if Ragnar had forgotten that Floki existed.

He could tell that the others around the table were sending worried glances his way. They were just as confused as he was. This was something that had never happened before.

“This is Athelstan!” Ragnar said, flinging an arm around Athelstan’s shoulders, a wide grin on his face. “We’re going to help him settle in. He’s staying with me and Rollo, since the option was to shack up with Icky!”

There was a collective shudder through them all. Nobody wanted to be left alone with Icky. Floki saw them all regard Athelstan with sympathy and he was fuming. Were they really that blind? Even Helga seemed taken with Athelstan, smiling shyly as he looked at her.

Torstein asked Athelstan to tell them about where he came from and in two seconds flat, they had all forgotten about Floki. It was fine by him, he had lost his appetite. Watching his best friend become so enthralled by that… prim and proper bullshit-spewing kid was making him sick.

And ok, yeah, he was man enough to admit to himself that he was jealous.

Not that he coveted his friend in any way; he had no sexual feelings towards Ragnar. Or Lagertha, for that matter. He was all about one girl, and he would stay true to her for as long as they both should live. It irked him a bit to see the way Lagertha, with absolutely no shame, allowed her hand to move through Athelstan’s black curls as she ate, just for a few seconds, and then smile brightly at him when he blushed. Lagertha was head over heels for Ragnar, there had never been any doubt in his mind about that. But judging by the way she was acting now… the way they BOTH were acting right now… things were about to change.

But it wasn’t the fact that things suddenly weren’t the same that got to him.

No, it was something else!

Yes, Ragnar was his oldest and best friend and yes, he felt the sting of being demoted without a word’s notice, but it was more than that.

He didn’t like Athelstan! It was as simple as that. He was too innocent, too pure, too… much, basically. It was obvious that he was hiding something. But why was Floki the only one who could see it, when it was right there, in front of everyone?

Was it really that bad if Athelstan ended up with Icky? In fact, the more Floki thought about it, the more appealing the idea seemed to him. Icky could probably teach Athelstan a thing or two. Maybe Floki should pay a visit to the principal’s office, just to… make sure nothing bad happens to the poor new kid.

Floki kept on observing the trio every chance he got. As the week progressed, he noticed a definite change in their behavior. Lagertha, it seemed, had taken Athelstan under her wing like a mother hen with a chicken and, knowing that she could kick ass with the best of them, people refrained from trying anything on with the new kid, not wanting the wrath of their queen hanging over them. Ragnar had gotten… well, soft, spending more time talking to Athelstan then hanging with his friends. And that… constant touching was really starting to piss Floki off.

People were starting to notice, too, Floki had seen them. He saw them everywhere, looking at Ragnar, staring at him and Athelstan, sitting so close together, in class, at lunch, pretty much never leaving each other’s side. Floki had heard them whisper about it, wondering if their king was still the badass that he once was. And that was another thing that pissed Floki off. They were doubting Ragnar! Ragnar was the coolest kid in school, he had them all eating from the palm of his hand, even the faculty went out of their way to please him, and these assholes were talking about maybe Ragnar had lost his touch.

He had even heard a few of them talk about maybe be friends with that spoiled rich kid, Horik, instead, and the fact that their loyalty to Ragnar meant nothing to them was enough to drive Floki mad with rage.

It was all Athelstan’s fault, of course. It wasn’t until he showed up that things had started to change.

Which only meant that as soon as he was gone, everything would go back to normal.

He brought it up, very carefully, at the end of the day. It was Friday and everybody was going to the local hangout to dance and have fun. Like they always did. So, naturally, Floki wanted to know if the whole gang was going. like they always did.

"Of course" Ragnar said, smiling at him and Floki thanked all the gods he could think of that some things hadn't changed. He was still Ragnar's right hand man. He couldn't help but laugh, he was so happy.

"Perfect! So same time? Should we meet outside?"

"Yeah, seven is fine! Me and Athelstan will be a bit late, though, we have to find him something to wear."

Floki's heart came to a screeching halt. Athelstan! Always Athelstan! He felt rage and jealousy mix inside him until he was ready to explode with it.

"Ragnar, he isn't one of us! And you are spending way too much time with him! Seriously, people are starting to notice. i heard them talking about maybe joining Horic and his crew. Ragnar, you are losing your followers, can't you see that? That boy, he's not good for you, he's turning you into some kind of.... some kind of...."

He couldn't think of a word that was big enough to describe what he was seeing, to describe the damage that Athelstan was doing to them.

Ragnar stopped him before he had a chance, though.

"I'm just showing him a good time, Floki! He doesn't have a lot of friends in this country..."

"Gee, I wonder why", Floki muttered. He didn't like this, something about the way Ragnar spoke felt... off, like he was telling the truth, but not all of it. The mere fact that Ragnar might be lying to him was like being shot in the stomach with a cannon ball.

"...And besides, it's friday, we're young, dum and full of fun, why shouldn't we show the foreign kid how to party?"

A positively wicked idea was forming in Floki's head. Oh, he knew how to party. And he knew plenty of ways to get others to party, as well. All he needed to do was to make some calls.... With Ragnar keeping Athelstan busy on the dance floor, the place packed with kids as usual, nobody would even notice if a little something was slipped into Athelstan's drink. Oh, yeah, Floki knew how to party.... and he was going to make sure that this was a party that no one would forget....

...with the possible exception of Athelstan, of course.

Floki giggled to himself.

"I do love a good party!" he said to his friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Ragnar’s palms were getting itchy, the way they usually did before a raid. His pulse quickened and he had to stop and take a deep breath. Lagertha, her arm linked with the unsuspecting Athelstan, turned her head and smirked at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. They usually ended up having some really intense make out sessions after a raid, thanks to the adrenaline rush they got.

This wasn’t something new, really, it was up to them to gather some beverages for the after party; they had done it plenty of times before, but this was the first time that they didn’t have Floki or anyone from their posse there to help create a diversion. They were going in blind, without so much as a plan.

And Ragnar loved it, he thrived on it, delighted in the challenge. Not to mention the golden opportunity to show Athelstan a small part of what made him and Lagertha the king and queen among the other students. It made him positively giddy, thinking about the way those big innocent eyes would grow bigger as he understood what they were planning to do.

“What *is* this place?” Athelstan asked, as they got closer to the liquor store.

“What, it’s a liquor store. This shit is owned by the government, actually. The only way to get your hands on some alcoholic beverages, apart from the bars, of course.”

“The government?”

“Yep! What, they don’t have liquor stores where you come from?”

“Nothing like this… And not this big!” Athelstan commented, prompting Ragnar to snort.

“Size isn’t everything, Althie, it’s what you do with it that matters!”

They had spent the better part of the week getting close to Athelstan. The boy was simply mesmerizing. Lagertha was unable to spend every single night with Ragnar, but they had included her in their conversations through Skype… Ragnar had to take another deep breath as he remembered last night, how their seemingly innocent conversation about Heaven and Hell had somehow turned sexual, ending with Lagertha teasing them both mercilessly by taking off her clothes, sitting completely naked while she skyped with them. The sound that Athelstan had made was somewhere between a whine and a moan and Ragnar had been painfully hard. He really should have asked, of course, before removing his pants and taking out his cock, but his sexy goddess was showing off her loveliest parts and it drove Ragnar crazy. The fact that Athelstan sat right next to him, his wide eyes moving from Lagertha to Ragnar as he tried desperately not to let them get to him, only served as a huge turn-on for Ragnar.

“Ragnar?!”

“What?!”

Lagertha glared at him. He was losing focus when they had a job to do. He mentally shook himself and gave her a nod. He was alright!

“So”, he said, “I’ll get the goods, you create a diversion! Remember, you have 45 seconds from my signal!”

“Got it!”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Supplies for the after party, sweet thing!” Lagertha said, linking her arm with his once again. “You’re with me! –Remember the gooseberry cider!”

“I’ve got it! 45 seconds!”

“Ok, Althie, come on, you and me are going in! Watch out for enemy fire!”

“But… Isn’t this illegal?”

Lagertha just gave him a teasing grin.

Ragnar watched them enter the liquor store and made sure he had everything ready, before going in after them. Lagertha was smiling brightly, chatting with Athelstan about something, both of them looking young and innocent to anyone who might notice them. There were three people they needed to be on the lookout for, apart from the security cameras, and that was the two cashiers and the security guard. Ragnar waited until he knew that the attention of those three were somewhere else, before sending a quick text to Lagertha: “Now!”

He didn’t stop to see if she had started, he moved quickly down the aisle to find what he was looking for, the beer that Floki liked, the gooseberry cider for Lagertha, two bottles of wine and one bottle of gin. And suddenly, he heard Lagertha yell:

“You PIG! How could you do this to me?!”

He couldn’t help but look up. Lagertha was holding up her cell phone like a weapon towards Athelstan, her eyes blazing. Ragnar almost forgot to focus on the job; she was so magnificent.

“What, you didn’t think I would find out?! How COULD you?” With my BEST FRIEND!?!”

She had the attention of almost everyone at the moment, Ragnar noticed, and he wondered what Athelstan thought of all of this. Maybe taking him for a raid had been a bit too soon. What if he screwed everything up? Ragnar saw him trying to say something, while Lagertha grabbed a bottle close to her and threw it on the floor. Ragnar winced. Get out of there, Lags, he thought to himself. Get it over with and get out.

The broken bottle made sure that everyone looked over to see what was going on, giving Ragnar the window of opportunity he needed to take the cans and the bottles and head for the exit. Just before he left, he couldn’t help but look over one more time…

His heart stopped!

Athelstan was crying! Quietly, but openly, tears had started running down his face. Lagertha looked completely crestfallen, her eyes almost as big as Athelstan’s. Ragnar couldn’t move! He knew that he had to leave, he knew that the seconds were ticking away and it was only a matter of time before someone would notice him, but his legs wouldn’t move. There was something… heartbreaking about the way Athelstan cried; there wasn’t a cell in Ragnar’s body that didn’t want to run up to him and wrap his arms around him.

Two more seconds ticked by… and suddenly, Lagertha had wrapped her arms around Athelstan’s neck and now, she was kissing him, as if she would die if she didn’t, passionately, desperately and before Ragnar had even a moment to process this, Athelstan had pulled Lagertha even closer and kissed her back.

Ragnar turned and almost ran out from the liquor store, his heart pounding in his chest. He walked swiftly to their rendez-vous point, and tried to catch his breath.

Seeing Lagertha with Athelstan had to have been one of the hottest things he had seen in his life. It felt like his whole body had caught on fire and he realized that he was groaning out loud. He thanked all the gods that the tunnel he was currently hiding out in was deserted, because he was about to make a damn mess of himself.

And then, not ten seconds later, he heard footsteps and saw Lagertha and Athelstan walking swiftly towards him. Ragnar didn’t even think. He could barely wait until they were both inside the tunnel, he grabbed Athelstan, pushed him up against the wall and shoved his tongue inside the other boy’s mouth. It felt like the only thing that would stop him from burning up inside was to keep on kissing Althie for as long as humanly possible. And then, his entire world exploded as Athelstan began kissing him back.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that he should probably have asked first. Hell, he belonged to Lagertha, he should have asked *her* first. Forget asking, he should have gone to her instead. But he couldn’t think. Whatever thought he’d had in his head, it turned to dust the very second he saw Lagertha making out with Athelstan in the liquor store. She had gotten a taste of something they had both wanted for so lo long. He wanted a taste as well.

At least, that’s what he kept on telling himself. It had nothing to do with the butterflies in his stomach!

Eventually, though, he had to stop, to be able to breathe. Reluctantly, he took a step back and looked over at Lagertha. Her eyes were back with desire, and Ragnar understood suddenly that this was actually happening, there was no going back. Whatever can of worms they had opened, it could never be undone.

He tried to think of something to say, but his brain wouldn’t cooperate with him. He looked at Athelstan and couldn’t stop a low groan. Their innocent friend looked so deliciously stunned that Ragnar had to stop himself from latching on to him once more. ‘Fuck, I want you!’ he thought, and it was so clear and loud in his head that he was almost positive that Athelstan could hear it.

“Did…” Lagertha began, and then she had to clear her throat a bit, because she sounded raw. “Did you get it?”

Oh, right, the bottles! Ragnar picked up his bag (He had no memory of actually putting it down on the ground in the first place) and showed her the cans and the bottles. She nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Athelstan. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. What king of magic did this guy have, anyway, to have them both so enthralled?

Athelstan still hadn’t said a word, it was like he, too, was too dazed to know what to say. But the look in his eyes spoke plenty. He was feeling it, too. Whatever it was, it was pulling the three of them together. Ragnar wasn’t even aware that Lagertha was moving until she stood right next to him.

“Tonight”, she said, slipping her arm around Ragnar, “I’m staying over!”

Ragnar nodded. Athelstan looked at her, and then at Ragnar, and back to Lagertha. He gave a quick nod. He was on board. Which meant that whatever they were planning, whatever they wanted to do to him, he was in. Ragnar’s head was instantly filled with all those lovely images he got when he first saw the boy. They were about to become a reality.

\-------

Floki was very patient. You might not think so, if you saw him, but he actually had a lot of patience. But after standing outside with Helga, the party in full swing inside, and no sign of Ragnar or Lagertha, that patience of his was wearing a bit thin. Ragnar was never late for a party. And Floki knew exactly what had happened. It was that Athelstan again! No matter what, that dude seemed determined to ruin any fun that Floki wanted to have. Floki wasn’t really sure that it was healthy to feel this kind of resentment, this hatred, towards another human being, but Floki had never been considered completely healthy, so it was probably normal to him.

By the time the three of them arrived, it was well past 7, and Floki didn’t even have to look to know that something had changed between them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something in the way they moved, something in the way both Ragnar and Lagertha had their arms around Athelstan’s waist, that told him that if he wanted Athelstan gone, he would have to move fast. Then, and only then, would things go back to normal. He was sure of it!

He greeted his friends, and sneered at Athelstan. There was no point in denying that he didn’t like the guy. And it would have been so much better if Athelstan had felt the same about him, if this intense dislike had been mutual, but no! Athelstan was the friendliest of friends, always smiling and trying to be nice to people. Floki was certain that Athelstan was the kind of guy who cried when he watched puppies on youtube or some shit like that.

And everyone was buying into it, too. Sometimes, it felt like Floki was the only one who could see Athelstan for what he really was. And what he was, was trouble. So if it came down to Floki to expose this guy to the others, then so be it. He had everything he needed, safely hidden in the pocket of his jeans. All he needed now, was a few minutes alone to prepare everything and then, all he had to do was wait for the drama.

Ragnar was completely hooked on the boy, but how would that change, if he found his new pet trying to make a move on Lagertha? The little secret in his pocket had some very interesting effects and Floki was going to enjoy watching Athelstan embarrass Ragnar to the point where he would have no choice but to kick him out of the house and out of their lives.

He giggled maniacally at the thought, almost rubbing his hands together as he pictured it all in his head. Helga gave him a strange look, but Floki just ignored her.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Floki!” Ragnar pointed out.

“Just enjoying a Friday night, Ragnar!” Floki stepped aside to let them pass and they all went inside to join their friends. He couldn’t help but notice that Ragnar was very quick to pay the entrance fee both for himself and for Athelstan. He didn’t say anything about it, though; he would have plenty of time to do that later. He could hear Ragnar explain the plans for the evening. They would party here for about two hours and then head over to Torstein for the afterparty. Floki gave a grin as he pictured Athelstan trying to keep up with Ragnar and the others at Torstein’s. Those parties could get out of hand really fast sometimes. He remembered one time when he woke up in the basement, naked, with Helga on one side and Torstein on the other, and a pair of old lady underpants on his head. He couldn’t really remember how they ended up there in the first place, but they had been high as freaking kites that night.

Ragnar was already steering Athelstan towards the dance floor, Lagertha following them with a big smile on her face. Helga looked over at Floki, and he knew exactly what she was asking without words. Should they join the king and queen on the dance floor? But Floki shook his head. He would dance later, but for now, he had a drink to prepare and he needed Helga to be somewhere else when he did that.

“Why don’t you go?” he said, smiling at her. “I know you want to! I’ll be with you in a few minutes, I’m gonna get us something to drink.”

He loved Helga, he really did, but she wouldn’t like what he was about to do. She was so sweet and trusting, his lovely girl, and she stood by him, no matter what, but this? He might be crazy, but even he knew that this was a deal-breaker. And, just like he suspected, she looked suspicious for a moment, and then she smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t be long!” she said, and left. Floki took a deep breath and said a small prayer to any gods that might be listening, and went to buy some drinks. He could barely contain his glee; this was going to be so much fun.

\------

Floki had barely finished his task when he felt a big hand on his shoulders.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

He turned and glared at Ragnar’s older brother.

“It’s none of your business, Rollo! Just leave e alone!”

“Considering what I just saw you do with that bottle of soda (he indicated the opened bottle that Floki had prepared not 30 seconds ago), I think you have some serious explaining to do.”

“It’s nothing, it’s just a little party popper, guaranteed to put a smile on your face…”

“If you’re planning on drugging some innocent kid…”

They both turned their heads as they heard Ragnar laugh out loud at something Athelstan had said. They were dancing with Lagertha, but there was no mistaking the way Ragnar’s hand caressed Athelstan’s arm. Floki couldn’t stop himself from muttering to himself. He really needed to get this show on the road and Rollo was wasting his time.

“Wait… Is it Athelstan? Is he the one you were gonna…”

“I just want to teach him a little lesson, that’s all!” Floki sneered. “He’s not one of us, and Ragnar is much too friendly with him. There is something about that kid that’s just… wrong and I need to find out what it is.”

“Well, you might be onto something there, Floki, my friend. There is definitely something weird about him.”

Floki frowned a bit. Could it be that he had found an ally?

“I can only do so much!” he said. “But you, you live with him, Rollo, you have access to all his stuff, you could tell me if something… strange was going on.”

“You mean spy on him?”

“If we’re right, Rollo, then he’s bad for Ragnar. Your brother might end up getting hurt.”

Rollo looked over at the trio on the dance floor. And then, he nodded.

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do! I’ll let you know if I find something!”

Floki nodded. This was even better than anything he could have anticipated. With Rollo as an ally, he would have acces to Athelstan’s most personal life. If that big bear didn’t find something incriminating, then Floki would eat his algebra book. With salt and pepper.

Fortunately, it didn’t take more than 10 minutes before the opportunity presented itself. Ragnar and Lagertha, both with their arms wrapped tightly around Athelstan’s, came by where Floki sat, nursing a soda, three opened bottles beside him on the table.

“Hey, Ragnar! I got you a drink!” He said, carefully picking up two of the bottles and presented them to his friends. And then, as soon as they had accepted, he took the third one and held it out towards Athelstan.

“I got one for you as well, Athelstan!” he said, grinning like a madman. Athelstan, of course, only smiled and accepted the soda. Ragnar on the other hand, seemed a tad suspicious.

“Why?” he asked.

“Why not?” Floki replied quickly.

“You don’t like Athelstan, everyone knows that. You go out of your way to make sure that everyone knows that. So why would you suddenly buy him a soda?”

“Look, it’s no secret that I’m not overly fond of Athelstan… -No offence!”

“None taken!” Athelstan said in that soft voice and it sent chills down Floki’s spine.

“But since you’re gonna be here for a while, I figured it was time to bury the ax… and make an effort. So I thought I would start by offering a drink. But if you think that is wrong, Ragnar, then by all means, I can drink that one, too.”

“No, I’m sure that Ragnar didn’t mean it like that. I would be happy to accept your offer of truce, Floki, thank you!”

He brought the soda bottle to his lips and drank from it. Floki watched him with a wicked gleam in his eyes. It was time for the real party to begin. He giggled and got up from the table.

“Great! Then let’s dance!”


	5. Chapter 5

The change in Athelstan’s behavior wasn’t instantaneous, but more like gradual. He laughed a bit louder than usual, and he talked more than usual, and he was a bit more touchy-feely with both Ragnar and lagertha, but it wasn’t even a noticeable change, until his legs suddenly seemed to disappear from under him and he dropped to the floor, a look of complete surprise on his face. Ragnar was there to offer a helping hand and when Athelstan got back up on his feet, he stared at Ragnar as if he had trouble focusing.

“I never noticed that about your eyes before!” He pointed out, sounding astonished.

“What about them?” Ragnar asked, still not letting go of Athelstan’s arm.

“There’s two of’em!” Athelstan exclaimed, like this was the biggest thing that had happened in a century. “That’s in-SANE!”

Ragnar exchanged a look with the others.

“So do you!” he said, carefully, looking over at Lagertha, motioning with his head to get her to come over. Athelstan looked incredulously at Ragnar and then felt his own eyes.

“DUDE!” he said, a wide smile on his face.

He did seem a bit disoriented and Lagertha, sensing that something was wrong, didn’t even ask before she wrapped an arm around Athelstan’s waist. Ragnar did the same and together, they steered him towards the exit for some fresh air.

“Are you alright, Althie?” Lagertha asked, her voice worried, as they walked. “You seem a bit…”

“High!” Ragnar finished for her, his eyes tracking and cataloging every move Athelstan made.

“Different!” Lagertha corrected, desperately scanning the crowd of dancing teenagers for a familiar face. This was not a safe place for their friend right now, they needed to leave. She knew, probably better than anyone, what kind of trouble a new kid could walk into in a place like this, if they got wasted and didn’t have anyone keeping an eye on them. She knew, because she, along with Ragnar and the others, had often been the ones causing said trouble.

Not with Althie, though. She would do anything for him. He was her family!

That sounded weird! And yet, she knew that it was true. She didn’t really understand it, this… possessiveness when it came to their new friend, this weird sense of familiarity that she got whenever she was with Athelstan. All she knew, in both heart and soul, was that he was her responsibility, her and Ragnar. And they had been with him all night, there was no way that anyone would have been able to slip him a mickey without them noticing.

And he was not drunk, he hadn’t had anything alcoholic to drink all night, only that soda that Floki…

Oh, gods!

That little snake!

They stumbled a bit, as if someone had lost their balance. Had Ragnar reached the same conclusion, she wondered, but Ragnar wasn’t paying her any attention. In fact, he seemed to be having some difficulties of his own. Had Floki tampered with Ragnar’s drink as well? He looked sweaty and panicky and was breathing funny. Lagertha was just about to ask, when she felt a firm hand on her ass. She gave an indignant shriek… and heart Athelstan giggle.

So! Their suddenly not-so-innocent priest was getting handsy. She could only imagine what he was doing to Ragnar to make him act like that and yeah, ok, maybe picturing things like that in her head wasn’t what she was supposed to be doing right now. Normally, she would call for a celebration and definitely a more secluded area where the three of them could continue what they started earlier, but something was definitely not right with Althie, and they needed to get him home so that he could sleep it off.

“Lags! You’re not leaving, are you?” Helga came towards them, all smiles and shiny eyes, and next to her… Floki, who regarded Athelstan with a sneer.

“We’re just about ready to head over to Torstein”, Floki said, “Sven and Siggy have already left… What’s up with the New Kid?”

Lagertha had a biting response on the tip of her tongue, but Ragnar beat her to it:

“That is something that you and I are going to talk about later!”

So Ragnar had also figured it out! The look on Floki’s face told Lagertha everything she needed to know. He definitely had something to do with Athelstan acting the way he did. And he definitely didn’t want them to leave until he had seen the full effect of… whatever it was that he had put in that bottle. He probably couldn’t wait to see Athelstan make a fool of himself.

She felt Ragnar’s arm tremble slightly over hers and she understood perfectly. She knew they had to be careful not to start anything; a fight in this place would get you banned for life, no mercy shown, but oh, how she wanted to throw a few punches right now. She was known to kick some serious ass and right now, Floki’s ass was just begging to be kicked.

The very nerve of him! Ragnar was his best friend, the leader of their little gang; he was the one who ruled the whole damn school, he was the fucking king! What on earth possessed Floki to do something like this?! The only thing stopping her from wreaking some serious havoc, was Athelstan. They needed to get him out, and they needed to do it fast.

Also, that hand on her ass was starting to feel really good. She wasn’t sure how long she could resist reciprocating. They were in a public place, anyone with eyes would be able to see what Athelstan was doing, not only to her, but to Ragnar as well, and if they wanted to keep some shred of dignity, they had to leave. Now!

“Sorry, Helga!” she said, moving forward, arm still linked with Ragnar’s around Althie’s waist, pushing Helga aside as she passed, glaring threateningly at Floki. Ragnar, wisely, kept his mouth shut until they came out into the fresh air.

“Your place?” His voice sounded strained and Lagertha wondered, again, what Athelstan was doing to her boyfriend.

“Too far! Yours?”

“Rollo…”

“I don’t care!” Lagertha interrupted him, hissing. Right now, she didn’t care if a whole damn village stood outside their room, holding up score cards.

“You both really wanna fuck me, don’t ya?” Athelstan giggled, and Ragnar made a choking sound.

“Oh, gods…”

“First of all, Althie”, Lagertha said, trying not to sound as though she was talking to a sick child, “we need to get you somewhere safe and sound, ok?”

“Cause I really want you to!” Athelstan kept on, sounding rather breathless and Lagertha screamed inwardly as his hand worked its way inside her panties and was currently working two fingers in and out of her.

They would never make it back to Ragnar’s, she had to have this beautiful boy inside her, now. They needed to move faster!

“Faster!” she said and Athelstan giggled. She tried telling herself, over and over, that Althie was stoned out of his head and they would, essentially, be taking advantage of him while he was unable to properly give his consent… but it was getting harder and harder to remember exactly why this was a bad thing.

Besides, she tried to reason, Athelstan had made it clear, earlier in the day, that he was willing and that he wanted both her and Ragnar, in the physical sense, so technically, they wouldn’t be taking advantage, they would…

“Fuck!” That hand was driving her crazy. If they didn’t find a bed soon, she would just sit him down on the nearest bench and ride him, right there, in front of anyone that passed by.

It was a couple of endless minutes before they finally got back to Ragnar’s house. Ragnar was at the end of his rope and Lagertha was loudly sobbing from the intense feelings Athelstan’s fingers brought out in her. How was it that someone as innocent as their little priest, a virgin in any part that counts, was so talented? Ragnar basically kicked the door open and the three of them tumbled inside. It felt like torture to walk up the stairs to Ragnar’s bedroom, but they were determined to get there if it killed them. Lagertha grabbed Athelstan’s naughty hand and intended to remove it from her already soaked panties, but for some reason, she pushed him further inside, groaning slightly when he brushed up against her clit.

Ragnar seemed to be in better control of himself than her, he had all but ran up the stairs, and was waiting for them at the top, slightly out of breath, but definitely more in control than her. As soon as Lagertha and Athelstan managed to join him, Ragnar looked at both of them.

“Are we really doing this?” he asked Lagertha and it forced her to actually use her brain cells for a while. She knew what he was asking. No matter how badly they wanted this, Athelstan was stoned and they were, technically, taking advantage of him. It wasn’t right. Althie was a virgin; his first time shouldn’t be while he’s too high to remember anything after. 

It was interesting, really, because just two months ago, neither she, nor Ragnar, would ever have thought twice about taking advantage. Sex was fun and should be had… But Althie had changed that, somehow. It made no sense, what so ever, but there was something about him that made her feel… Ok, maybe not possessive, as such, but more like… protective! Like she knew something bad was gonna happen, if they didn’t keep Athelstan close, at all time. Him getting drugged by Floki was bad enough. They couldn’t lose him, not again!

Again?!

She blinked, twice, and for a fraction of a second, it almost seemed like they were somewhere else, but it was over before she could even pretend that she knew what it meant. And at that moment, there was an outcry of astonishment from their friend.

“Woah! Look at this!” he held out both of his hands, wiggling his fingers around. Seeing the hand that, not ten seconds ago, had been driving her crazy, glistening wet with her juices, Lagertha forgot everything about morals and protection and just screamed inside her head once again. Life just wasn’t fucking fair.

“What is it, Althie?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from sounding impatient.

“Fingers! Aren’t they amazing?! They’re so helpful and they’re like… always there! They’re like little friends that you get to carry around with you everywhere.”

Oh, man! They couldn’t do this! Lagertha looked over at Ragnar who nodded at her. He understood perfectly.

“Totally amazing!” he agreed, before putting his arm around Athelstan’s shoulders. “It’s been a long day, how about we get some sleep, alright, Althie?”

Athelstan looked from one to the other and seemed perfectly content to just agree with everything they said.

“Alright!” he said, smiling big and Lagertha took a deep breath and counted to twenty to calm herself down. Her body was still humming and she was still soaking wet, so Ragnar better be there for her as soon as Althie passed out. It qwas a dissapointing end to what could have been one hell of a party. But, she figured, you can't have everything. Not even the King and Queen!


	6. Chapter 6

It was well past 3 when Rollo stumbled in through the door at home, failing miserably at staying quiet. He barely remembered to take off his shoes before going inside. As he braced himself against the wall, he managed to knock down both a coat rack and a flashlight, but amazingly enough, no one came running. The house was still and peaceful, as if it was asleep. Rollo took a deep breath and tried to run up the stairs to avoid tripping and felt intense satisfaction when he found himself at the top. That feeling of satisfaction was short-lived, however, as his head started spinning out of control.

“Fuck!”

A couple of breaths and he felt a bit better. As he passed the door to Ragnar’s bedroom, he stopped. He had spent plenty of time at Torstein’s party talking to Floki about Athelstan. They both had agreed that the kid had something to hide, but neither one of them could figure out what it was. Rollo also had a problem with the way his brother seemed to be so taken with the boy, almost as if he had been hypnotized or something. And Lagertha! He had known her for many years now, and not once had he seen her as much as look at someone other than Ragnar. They seemed glued at the hip, despite Rollo’s many attempts to persuade Lagertha to ditch Ragnar and hook up with him.

So what was the deal with them suddenly being so crazy about the new kid? It didn’t make any sense!

Curious now, he placed his hand against the door and gave it a gentle push. It opened without a sound and Rollo took a peek inside.

Ragnar’s bed wasn’t big enough for three and yet, somehow, all three of them were in bed together, sleeping soundly. Athelstan, he noted, was in the middle, with Ragnar on one side and Lags on the other, both with an arm protectively over Athelstan. He couldn’t be sure, but it sure looked like they were naked under the covers. Rollo wasn’t sure how long he stood, staring at them, but his brain had trouble cooperating and refused to give him any logical explanations. That left him with only the illogical ones; that they fucked or… Nope, that was the only one he could think of.

He would never have pegged Lags as someone who would take part in a threeway, but Ragnar probably talked her into it. Pervert! If Lags had been with him, he would never have forced her into a threeway with another dude like that.

Another chick, definitely, but never a dude.

He decided that the mental images were too revolting and closed the door. The fact that Athelstan’s bags had been right by the door was something that he chose to ignore for the time being. He needed a few hours rest, and he wasn’t entirely certain that he wouldn’t wake them up if he started going through Athelstan’s stuff in the middle of the night.

Tomorrow, then!

In a weird way, he was actually looking forward to it.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Athelstan waited until he was certain that Rollo had gone to his room before opening his eyes. He gently disentangled himself from the loving arms of his king and queen, his heart bursting with both joy and sadness as he watched them. How it was possible, he would never understand, but the love he felt for these two were stronger than anything he had ever encountered before.

“My king…” he whispered, almost fervently, looking from Ragnar’s sleeping form to Lagertha. “My queen…” His eyes were burning and he wasn’t really sure if he was awake or not, because both Ragnar and Lagertha looked… different to him now. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of that drink, because his two friends seemed almost ten years older. Hell, if he looked closely, he could have sworn that Ragnar had a beard! Shaking his head slightly, he crawled out of bed and walked on his toes over to his bag to get his cell phone.

‘God forgive me’, he thought to himself as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, ‘because they will not!’

He reached the bathroom door and sneaked inside, closing the door behind him. His vison was blurry, but his fingers had done this many times and sent the text within a matter of seconds.

“They trust me! I’m in!”

He sat down as he waited for a reply, fighting back the tears with clenched teeth. He had never hated himself with as much passion as he did right now. This wasn’t right! He couldn’t keep doing this. After…

And then, he got his reply.

“Good! Report to me on Monday! Get some sleep!”

He nodded, automatically, and turned off his cell, before checking himself in the mirror. They were both sleeping, they would never know, he could just get back into bed and…

The tears started running down his face. He didn’t deserve their friendship, their love. Not after this! As he wiped his eyes, he went back to Ragnar’s room, but instead of joining the other two, he chose the mattress on the floor that Ragnar had given him as a guest bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. For some reason, listening to Ragnar and Lagertha’s deep breathing was incredibly soothing and forty seconds later, he was back asleep.

\-----------------------------------

Saturday brought with it a bright sun, clear blue sky and birds, singing about life, summer and the promise of love. It also brought smiles to everyone’s face and the three friends were happily chatting away at the breakfast table when Rollo came in, looking like seven hells. He didn’t appreciate their laughter and jovial mood, it got on his nerves. He was a bit too hungover to appreciate the fine weather and sat down with a grunt.

“You!” he said, his eyes on Athelstan. “Make me some coffee!”

“Make your own coffee, asswipe!” Ragnar told him, shaking his head at Athelstan to get him to remain seated. Athelstan, however, just gave Ragnar a tiny smile and got up anyway.

“Of course, Rollo!” he said and the friendly tone did not sit well with Rollo. In fact, he would prefer it if no one ever spoke to him, ever again. He grunted in reply and put his head in his hands, ignoring the others. If there was a way for him to get them out of the house, so that he could check for anything incriminating about Athelstan, he would use it, but he couldn’t think of any.

“Wow, look at that, not a cloud in the sky… We should totally take Althie to the Bath!”

“The bath?” Athelstan asked, at the same time as Ragnar said:

“That’s perfect! I like the way you think, Lagertha!”

“I know! You only want me for my brain! –You packed any swim trunks, Althie?”

Rollo pretended to ignore them, but he paid close attention to every word. If the three of them left for the Bath, they would be gone for at least two hours, giving him plenty of time to go through Athelstan’s bags.

“What’s the Bath?”

“You’ll see! We leave as soon as possible.” He turned his attention to Lagertha, who was getting up from the table. “You’re going home for your bathing suit, Lags?”

She winked at him.

“I don’t think they would appreciate if I showed up in my birthday suit, do you?”

“I know I would! –Althie?”

Rollo happened to look over at Athelstan at that precise moment and found the boy red like an overgrown tomato. Considering what the three of them had done last night, he couldn’t really understand how the kid could still be blushing like a damn virgin just as soon as someone mentioned naked ladies. Foreigners! Unlike his brother, who always dreamed about travelling to other countries and seek out some grand adventure, Rollo very much preferred to stay at home. Not that he wouldn’t go with Ragnar if he ever decided to go abroad, someone had to keep an eye on the little maggot, but if he had to pick? Yeah, it was home, sweet home for Rollo!

“You wanna come, too, Rollo?”

The question made him pause for about a fraction of a second. He looked over at his little brother and saw nothing but honesty and affection in his eyes. Ragnar was actually asking if he wanted to spend the day with them! Well, it was a beautiful day, and it would be nice to relax at the Bath for a few hours, but he had a mission and at the moment, curiosity won over relaxation.

“No, thank you, brother! I was thinking of staying home, maybe give Siggy a call, see if she wanted to come over.”

“As you wish! You know where we are if you change your mind. You and Siggy could come join us if you want. You might be an asshole, Rollo, but you’re my brother and I love you.”

Rollo for a twinge of guilt for what he was about to do as soon as Ragnar and his friends left the house, but it passed and he gave them all a smile that he hoped was friendly enough.

“I’ll talk to Siggy. If she says yes, I’ll text you that we’re coming!”

“Sounds good to me! –Alright, Althie, you done yet? We need to find you some swim trunks.”

Rollo didn’t move an inch. In fact, he stayed by the table, until he heard the front door open and close a few minutes later and he was absolutely certain that he was alone. He waited five more minutes, giving them plenty of time to remember if they had forgotten anything that they needed to run back home and get, before heading up the stairs and into Ragnar’s room, going straight for Athelstan’s bags.

“Alright, let’s see what you’re hiding…”

\-----------------------------------

Ragnar and Lagertha shared a knowing smile as they approached the Bath and heard the familiar sounds of laughing children and splashing water from inside. To the tourists, it might just be three outdoor swimming pools and a place to relax for a while, but to them, it was summer and childhood. For as long as they could remember, they had spent the better part of the year in this place. Splashing around in the kiddie pool when they were young, running around in the burning sun. Learning to swim in the middle one when they got older; jumping in with their friends and screaming with delight. And then, frolicking in the big pool, diving down to the bottom and stay there for as long as possible, just to freak out the life guard, swimming past all the lovely ladies, ‘accidentally’ groping them as he passed.. Always a big blanket waiting for them on the grass when they got up, drying off and then running over to buy some ice cream…

Maybe it wasn’t much, but to them, it was perfection.

And now, it was Athelstan’s turn to experience it all.

“I envy you, in a way, Althie!” Lagertha said as she paid for the three of them. “You get to see it all for the first time!”

“See what?” Athelstan asked and then, he grew silent. Ragnar saw the way his eyes moved. Sure, he guessed, a lot of countries in the world had public outdoor swimming pools, but in no other country would you be able to find the same sense of perfection. All the green grass, the closeness to nature with the big trees surrounding them… Despite the screaming and laughing from the kids, there was still a sense of peace at the Bath, of tranquility. He pointed in the direction of the dressing rooms.

“Boys dressing room… Girls dressing room… Don’t get lost!”

“Alright, boys, I’m gonna find a spot for us, you go get changed!” She pulled her tank top over her head, revealing a cute flowery bikini. Ragnar nodded in approval. He loved that girl, with every part of his body. He looked over at Athelstan, who was still looking around at the beautiful place, and his heart started beating faster. How was it that he felt this strongly about someone he had known a week? If it had been all about lust, well, that he could understand, but what he felt for Athelstan went so much deeper than that.

He steered the other boy towards the changing rooms, snickering when the poor boy gasped as two women exiting topless from the other dressing room. This was going to be so much fun!  
For some reason, he felt a bit nervous as they got into the poorly lit dressing room. So much had changed between them, the very air around them was charged with sexual energy. No matter how hard he tried to focus on other things, no matter how honest he had been when he had agreed to wait; the very second the two of them were left alone, it would hit him… He was falling in love with the other boy. In no time at all, a virtual stranger had become closer to him than his own brother, closer, almost, than Lagertha. He had never even considered the possibility of loving two people at the same time. It had never been an issue, it had always been just Lagertha for him. But now, things were different. It would probably be a lot easier to ignore, if he wasn’t acutely aware that Athelstan felt the same way about him.

No, not just him. Lagertha, too. There was some form of bond that had tied the three of them together, right from the start. Like they were meant to be together.

As soon as they were done, Ragnar took Athelstan’s hand and led him back outside, scanning the place for where Lagertha were. He was so busy looking that he completely missed someone coming up to them.

“Hello, Ragnar! Who’s your friend?”

Ragnar swore to himself. Judith! Biting down hard to keep himself from saying what he was really thinking, he gave the girl a forced smile.

“Hey, Judith! Have you seen Lagertha?”

“She’s over by the Big one! Who’s your friend? –Hi! I’m Judith!”

Ragnar could literally feel the look Athelstan gave her, he didn’t even need to glance in any direction to know that Athelstan was gawking and the pretty young thing standing in front of him.

“Athelstan!”

“Oh, right, the exchange student!” Judith smiled, her eyelashes fluttering. “I’ve heard everything about you! So, are you enjoying yourself in…”

“You here alone, Judith?” Ragnar interrupted, unconsciously taking a step closer to Athelstan, still holding a firm grip on his hand, as if he was afraid that Athelstan would run away if he let go. Judith gave him a look that was cold as ice.

“No! Me and Aethelwulf are just over there!” she pointed in another direction, but Ragnar didn’t even bother to look.

“You, him… and Daddy?”

“Fuck you!” Judith hissed at him. She was astoundingly beautiful, there was no way around that, with those huge eyes and the black hair, and that body, but Ragnar knew enough about her to know that the smart thing to do was to stay as far away from her as humanly possible.

“No thanks, dollface, your bed is way too crowded as it is! –Come on!”

He started walking, leaving Athelstan no choice but to follow. Ragnar was seething with anger, feeling as if the day had been ruined already, just because of that whore. As soon as they reached Lagertha, who was sitting cross-legged on the blanket, going through the bag she brought with her. She looked up as they approached and, probably seeing the look on Ragnar’s face, frowned a bit.

“What’s wrong?”

“We ran into Judith! She was trying to sink her hooks into Althie!”

As expected, Lagertha growled and started looking around to see if she could find Judith. Ragnar did not want to be in her place if Lagertha ever caught up with her.

“Who’s Judith?”

Lagertha grabbed Athelstan’s arm and made him sit next to her on the blanket. Ragnar, still holding Athelstan’s hand, sat down on his other side.

“You need to stay away from her, Althie! She’s bad news!”

“I know she seems nice and innocent, but trust me, that bitch is nothing but trouble.”

“She’s got this boyfriend, Aethelwulf… He’s two years older than her…”

“And she’s sleeping with both him and his father!”

“Excuse me?!”

“Yep! I hear she does them both at the same time. They have this weird little family-thing going on, she’s even living with them…”

“Oh, and Aethelwulf’s daddy… is Principal Ecbert!”

“What?!” Athelstan stared openmouthed at them both, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Why do you think everyone calls him Principal Icky? And I’m sure the entire faculty knows about it, too, and no one is doing anything, because the guy is freaking loaded, and the school needs the money, so they are keeping him as a principal. So he’s up there every graduation, every PTA meeting, all smiles and handshakes and charming everyone…”

“And all the time him and his son is fucking the same girl.”

Athelstan looked positively aghast that something so horrific was happening.

“I’ve heard”, Lagertha added in a whisper, “that Icky is doing both her AND his son! As in…”

“Ok, stop!” Athelstan tried to put his hands over his ears, but couldn’t move the one that Ragnar was holding. “That can’t be true! That’s just… He’s a principal, he wouldn’t do that!”

“I know how you feel! Now listen, we’re here to relax and have a good time, so let’s focus on something else, ok?”

“She’s right!” Ragnar agreed, eager to change the subject. “We take five minutes to make sure we have everything and then we go get wet!”

Athelstan nodded, but the poor thing still looked like he was gonna be sick.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT?! An UPDATE?! Could this be REAL?!
> 
> Yep, I'm back, and i promise, I won't keep you waiting this long again.... I do apologize for that, btw.

“Are they back yet?” Was the first thing Floki asked as Rollo opened the door and let him inside. Rollo gave him an incredulous look, would he have texted Floki and told him to get his ass over if Ragnar and his fuckbuddies were back from the Bath?

“You need to see this!” he said, turned and walked back up the stairs, not even waiting for Floki to take his shoes off. He waited for him in Ragnar’s room, where the contents of Athelstan’s bags were scattered all over the floor. When Floki saw the mess, he shook his head slightly. This was not his mess, he was not gonna clean this up!

“What did you find?”

“Nothing… That’s the weird part.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean”, Rollo said, taking a step further in, sweeping his arm to indicate the mess, “there is literally nothing. No photos, nothing personal, nothing of value, I can’t even find a fucking library card.”

“Do people still do the library thing?” Floki asked, curious. Rollo rolled his eyes at him.

“it’s like he went out of his way to stay as anonymous as possible. What’s his deal? Where’s he from? Has he said anything?”

Floki hadn’t really been paying attention to anything Athelstan said, but now that he thought about it, he realized that the strange boy had been surprisingly quiet about what kind of life he had before coming to Sweden. He seemed to recall something about him being an orphan…. No, wait, didn’t he have a grandmother?

“I think he had a grandmother!” he said and Rollo nodded.

“No pictures of a grandmother. No pictures of anything at all, really. It’s like he didn’t even exist before showing up at school.”

“Ok, so what do we know about him? Apart from the fact that he’s really creepy and your brother’s got a hard-on for him.”

Rollo raised an eyebrow. Ragnar? That was just ridiculous. Ragnar was head over heels for Lags, anyone with eyes could see that. Exactly why she chose to stay with someone like Ragnar was beyond him, but Rollo guessed that it had something to do with Ragnar’s skillful tongue. So there was no way his brother would have the hots for someone else, especially not some weird dude that appeared out of nowhere and somehow managed to turn everyone else into complete idiots.

“Have you checked online?”

“Not a word anywhere! The guy doesn’t exist, Floki!”

This had somehow gone from being weird to suspicious in no time at all. Who the hell was this kid, and where did he come from? Floki’s heart was beating like crazy. If that little brown-nose did anything to hurt Ragnar or Lagertha, Floki wouldn’t hesitate to bash his head in with a rock… or maybe just cut him open with an axe!

\--- --- --- --- 

“Clouds!” Lagertha pointed to the sky with a resigned sigh. Ragnar and Athelstan, who had been busy seeing who could stay under water the longest, stopped and looked up as well. Big grey rainclouds were coming towards them and all around them, people were starting to gather their things.

“We should get a move on if we want to get home before it starts pouring.” Lagertha took her things and started walking towards the changing rooms. “Don’t get frisky in the shower, boys, I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Yes, dear!” Ragnar called after her.

Despite everything, even despite the fact that they were all on the same page when it came to the intense sexual attraction between the three of them, Athelstan still blushed a lovely shade of pink at her words. Ragnar simply took his and Athelstan’s towels, the blanket they had been sitting on and his phone, flung his free arm around Athelstan’s shoulders and said:

“Come on! We’re gonna get frisky in the shower!”

Which only made Athelstan blush even worse.

The changing room, however, was not empty when they got there, and they both took a quick shower so that Lagertha wouldn’t have to wait too long. As they were getting dressed, however, Ragnar made sure to get really close and slowly moved his fingers down Athelstan’s arm as he buried his nose in the other boy’s still wet hair.

“I want you!”

Their eyes met and even though Ragnar could tell that his friend was trembling, he did not avert his eyes. Instead, he nodded.

“Not here, though”, he said in a low voice and Ragnar’s legs suddenly felt a bit wobbly. ‘Not here’ meant ‘somewhere else’. And Ragnar had no problem with that. He was going to get this guy alone and he was going to ravish him. Lagertha would be sensationally pissed off if he took Athelstan’s virginity without her, they had already decided that they were going to do that together, but there were a lot of other things they could do, just the two of them.

“No problem!” he said, grinning. “Get dressed and go wait for me, I’m gonna go take a piss and then we’re getting out of here.” He gave Athelstan a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for the nearest toilet.

He was just about to flush, when there was a voice outside that made him pause.

“Well… Hello, angel-face!”

Aethelwulf! Ragnar had his hand on the door when Athelstan suddenly said:

“Leave me alone, Aethelwulf!”

“No can do, angel-face, you see… My father says that he wants to see you in his office after school on Monday. He wants an update on your school work.”

“Is it true?” Athelstan asked, and there was a tone in his voice that Ragnar hadn’t heard before.

“Is what true?”

“What they’re saying… about you and him… about Judith…”

“You stay the fuck away from Judith, you understand me? I see you anywhere near her and I will make sure that all your little friends find out just what kind of a freak you are.”

“You don’t know anything about me, Aethelwulf, and I am running late, so why don’t you run back to daddy and leave… me… alone!”

Ragnar wasn’t sure if his mouth was open or not, but it sure felt like it, so he tried closing it. Yep, wide open! He had never heard Athelstan talk like that before, not to anyone. And Aethelwulf? How the hell did those two even know each other and… Oh!

For a moment, he had forgotten the keen interest that Principal Icky had taken in Athelstan right from the start. Before he accepted to offer to stay with Ragnar, the plan was for him to stay with Ecbert. Ragnar shuddered at the very thought of having to live in that house. No wonder Athelstan had an attitude, who wouldn’t? He heard someone leaving and wondered if Aethelwulf was still there. Or maybe it was Aethelwulf that had left and Athelstan was just outside the door, waiting for him to come out.

Completely forgetting about flushing or washing his hands, he slowly opened the door and looked around. Someone was in the shower. Probably Aethelwulf, then. He quickly took the rest of his clothes and hurried outside.

Lagertha and Athelstan was waiting for him. Lagertha stepped between her boys and took one arm each.

“Home?”

Ragnar looked over at Athelstan. He was smiling sweetly at her, as if nothing had happened. Good. Lagertha’s good mood had rubbed off on the poor boy.

“Home!” he agreed, and the three of them left together, arm in arm in arm.

\--- --- --- --- 

Rollo had noticed the clouds as well, which could only mean that the three youngsters would be back any minute. Floki had taken that as his cue to leave and Rollo had been forced to put all of Athelstan’s things back on his own. The fact that they couldn’t find anything about the kid bothered him more than he would like. His brother was a maggot and once when they were younger, Rollo had tried to sell the boy to the butcher just to be rid of him, but when it came down to it, he did love the guy. Once, it had been the two of them against the world, and even though he didn’t exactly show it, he did care about Ragnar and if Athelstan did something to hurt Rollo’s little brother, then Rollo would have no problem with pushing the kid in front of a bus.

It just didn’t make sense for someone to not exist.

He was zipping up the bag, when he heard the front door open. Very carefully, he put the bag back and left the room, closing the door gently behind him to not raise suspicion. If he stayed quiet, he might hear something useful.

“Rollo?”

He smiled to himself. This was a much better plan than going through some bags. Just let them think that they have the house to themselves, let them relax, let them talk… Maybe Athelstan had told Ragnar everything already… whatever it was he was hiding.  
Maybe they were planning on telling Lags. All he had to do was stay quiet.

“Maybe he’s still with Siggy?” he heard Lagertha say and he nodded, that was exactly what he wanted them to think. Ragnar had no reason to suspect that his brother was essentially spying on him.

“That means we have the place to ourselves…”

There was a few seconds of silence, and Rollo really hoped that they wouldn’t decide to stay downstairs. There was no way he would be able to sneak down those stairs without them hearing him. Couldn’t they just decide to take this conversation upstairs? It would make it easier for him to…

“Fuck, you guys are so hot together, can we please get naked now?”

Aw, HELL no! No! He did NOT sign up for that! He wanted to hear secrets, he did not want to hear them… He had to do something, he had to stop this before it got out of hand. He did not need to hear his brother have sex with…

And that’s when he realized that Lagertha was the one that spoke… which mean that the ones ‘looking hot together’… were Ragnar and Athelstan… together…

Now, Rollo had no problem with that, technically, but it was his own brother. He didn’t want to do this! He looked around, trying to come up with a believable plan, rushed into the upstairs bathroom and flushed the toilet, knowing that it would be heard downstairs. Washing his hands for a couple of extra seconds, before practically slamming the door open and calling down, as loud as he could:

“Ragnar? Is that you?”

“Yeah… we just got home!” Ragnar sounded just a little out of breath and Rollo gave them a few more seconds to get somewhat decent, before going downstairs to greet them.

Athelstan was blushing like a little girl, and Rollo decided then and there that the boy was not good for his brother. And how the fuck did he manage to get Lagertha under his spell as well?

Something was definitely wrong here. Floki was right! The kid had to go before he cause some serious damage.


	8. Chapter 8

Ragnar spent the rest of the day being both royally pissed off and strangely relieved at the same time. All because of his big bear of a brother. If it hadn’t been for him, Althie would have been thoroughly screwed several times over by now. And Ragnar really, really wanted to be the one to do the screwing. It was something that he had been thinking about for quite some time, in fact, something he had discussed, at length, with Lagertha, as well, who had demanded to be present for said screwing. That was shot to shit as soon as Ragnar heard his brother’s voice from upstairs, just as he was about to put his hands down Althie’s pants.

On the other hand, he was relieved that Rollo had interrupted when he did. Athelstan was still a virgin, and Ragnar desperately wanted the boy’s first time to be something that he would remember fondly, and not look back on as a mistake later in life. Screwing him on the living room floor in the middle of the day when just about anyone could walk by… That was not ideal. Also, if they had gotten even further, and Rollo had caught them, Athelstan would be mortified. He would probably not even look at Ragnar after something like that.

So yeah, he might have a serious case of blue balls, but it was worth it. He knew that, deep inside.

Lagertha had made a run for it, not ten minutes after Rollo came downstairs, leaving Ragnar to deal with both Rollo and Althie for the rest of the evening. Not that Ragnar could blame her, but even so, he would have liked to have her around as well. 

The ominous clouds they had seen turned out to be one hell of a storm, with rain that seemed to go on forever. It kept on raining well into the night, relentlessly, and well past bedtime. It suited Ragnar’s mood, because he found it fitting, somehow, that even the sky was pissed off. They were supposed to have so much fun, the three of them. And instead, Ragnar and Althie had spent the next couple of hours watching a movie with Rollo, ordering a pizza.

His mood had improved somewhat when they went to bed that night, though, and as he turned out the light, he felt confident that they were all at least one step closer to get what they wanted.

And it was at that moment that he felt someone get into bed with him, making themselves comfortable under the covers.

“Althie… What are you doing, young man?”

Despite the fact that the room was almost pitch black, Ragnar was positive that he could see Athelstan’s eyes as they looked at him. And then, a soft voice as lips pressed against his ear:

“Can you be quiet?”

Ragnar wasn’t even sure if he could breathe, because there was a hand on his leg that wasn’t there a minute ago, and that hand was moving dangerously close to his groin and ok, he might have whimpered a bit, because this was something completely unexpected. Sure, they had done a lot of talking, him and Lagertha, telling Althie about the various things two people could to to each other, and sure, there had been enough heavy kissing and roaming hands to know that everything discussed was mutual and reciprocated, but for Athelstan to do something like this?!

The hand pressed down on his hardening cock and Ragnar couldn’t stop a groan.

“Ssssh”, the lips against his ear said, “just let me do this… for my king…”

Something, in the back of his mind, tried to point out that something was off… It was something he should pay attention to, he knew that… But he wasn’t really sure what it was, if it was the urgency in the other man’s voice or how good his hand felt, if it were the fact that they were exposed out here in the open or the coming battle tomorrow…

Ragnar blinked, his heart racing in his chest. What the…

“You ok?”

It was still dark, but he felt the soft pillow under his head and when he reached out, he felt the wall under his hand. His room! They were in his room. Athelstan was in his bed, in his room, and it was messing with his head. But it had seemed so real. So real and so familiar, like they had moved outside, somehow. Ragnar had trouble breathing. For some reason, he was terrified. Something could happen to Althie, something could take him away from Ragnar, he would never see him again, he could literally feel his whole body ache with the loss of his friend…

“Ragnar…?”

Not even thinking anymore, Ragnar wrapped both arms around Althie’s waist, holding him close. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen, it was like experiencing a nightmare while fully awake.

“I will protect you!” he said, the words coming from somewhere else. “No one will ever hurt you, I promise.”

Athelstan responded to that by kissing him. Exactly how long they stayed like that, holding each other, kissing, no one knew, but eventually, Ragnar’s rapidly beating heart slowed down and he felt calm once more. The urgency of their kissing slowed down considerably and again, hands started to move over naked skin. They didn’t talk, the only thing heard was the sound of the two of them breathing as hands closed around hard cocks and started moving together.

They took their time, getting to know each other, finding out what made the other gasp, and moan. Ragnar, despite being the more experienced one, lost all ability to think as Athelstan worked him, and when he came, only seconds before the other boy, the orgasm so powerful that the world exploded around him, the word that left his lips as he rode the waves was not his own:

“…priest…”

If Athelstan heard it, he never said. The only thing he said when he came was:

“…oh, God…”

And they were too exhausted to say anything at all after that.

\--- --- --- --- ---

Lagertha showed up around lunch the following day. She took one look at the two of them and knew exactly what was going on. She waited, like a good girl, until Rollo had left to visit Siggy, and then she started interrogating them about what had happened.

“Just please tell me I didn’t miss the fun part!” she said, giving them a fake pout, making them both smile sheepishly at her.

“I… We…” Athelstan began.

“We were just… I mean… No, you didn’t…” Ragnar wasn’t really sure exactly what to say. This was something new. They always shared! At parties, if they found a pretty girl, they always shared her. Everything they did, they did together. Ragnar felt like he should apologize or something. She was just as invested in this as he was, she was just as taken by Athelstan as Ragnar, it felt as though he had been unfaithful.

The smirk she gave them both spoke differently, though. She might be upset that she missed the show, but that was all there was. In fact, this might work in their favor once they actually did the deed. Althie would be a bit more relaxed now, which could only be a good thing.

Still, she would have liked to see them go at it. Watching them sitting next to each other, jerking off as she skyped with them wasn’t really the same as seeing them do it to each other. Oh, well, she would get to see them later on, that was something to look forward to.

And there was something else they needed to discuss.

“Have either of you talked to Floki since the party?”

“No… I was going to do it today, actually.” Ragnar said. It had slipped his mind, after everything that happened. He remembered what had happened at the party, and Athelstan’s behavior after.

“I’m not much of a drinker”, Athelstan admitted, “but that has never happened to me before.”

“He must have spiked it!” Lagertha said, her tone hard as steel. “Whatever it was that he gave you… It could have fucked you up completely. He must have known that.”

“But why? I know I haven’t been hanging out with Floki as much as I used to, but… To do this? I mean… There is ‘jealous’ and then, there’s ‘Glenn Close’. Floki might not have a full stable, but he’s my best friend, we’ve known each other since we were in freaking diapers… He wouldn’t just do this out of jealousy, there’s something else.”

“Are you sure? Babe, Floki has always been your wingman, no matter what, and you have been pretty much ignoring him lately, ever since…”

“Ever since I showed up!” Athelstan mumbled, more to himself than anyone else, but the other two heard him, loud and clear.

“This isn’t your fault, Althie, none of it. If Floki can’t handle that I make other friends, then that’s his problem. But to do something like this…”

“I talked to Helga yesterday!” Lagertha looked a bit guilty. “It seems we have both been ignoring our friends lately.”

“Because of me!”

“Can we focus on the big issue here, Athelstan? He fucking drugged you! If we hadn’t been there, anything could have happened…” She didn’t want to think about the things that could have happened to this sweet boy, it made her blood boil. It was a bit strange, perhaps, how Athelstan brought out the mama bear in her, how quickly they had taken him under their wings, but how could they not? Evil was everywhere and Athelstan was still so innocent.

In the corner of her eye she saw Ragnar send a quick text to Floki, probably telling him to get his ass over asap, and as much as she liked Floki, she would run him through if he did anything to Althie.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be here when he shows up!” she said, reaching out to take Athelstan’s hand. “This is something the two of you should talk about in private. I’ll take Althie to see Gyda. How long do you need?”

“No more than an hour, I think!” Ragnar was still looking at his phone, waiting for Floki to respond and Lagertha gave a quick nod and then she smiled at Athelstan.

“Come, Althie! We need to get some flowers for Gyda.”

She looked over at Ragnar, but he was still looking at his phone, so she sighed and gave him a sweet kiss, unable to hide her grin as Athelstan did the same, before leaving the house.

“Who’s Gyda?” Athelstan asked, as they stopped along the way to pick some daisies. Lagertha took a deep breath. This was her idea, she should at least be honest, but the words got stuck in her throat. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Instead, she lied to him.

“My little sister! She… came into the world sleeping.”

Sleeping. That’s the word she would always use. She had been sleeping. That perfect little thing with the perfect face and the perfect ten fingers, perfect ten toes… She was just sleeping!

She felt Athelstan squeeze her hand in comfort.

“I’m sorry!”

Lagertha took another deep breath. A part of her couldn’t help but wonder; how long would it take for the pain to go away? How long before the name would stop tearing a hole in her heart? How long before Ragnar would speak that name without looking like someone had stabbed him through the heart?

The rest of the walk to the cemetery was quiet. Athelstan seemed to sense that Lagertha was deep in thought and not interested in conversation at the moment. He held on to her hand, though, and it gave her a huge comfort to know that he was there.

\--- --- --- ---

Ragnar waited until they were sitting in the kitchen before asking if Floki had spiked Athelstan’s drink. Floki didn’t even look surprised, he just nodded.

“Why?”

“For you! Everything I do is for you, Ragnar! Surely you can see that he is a troublemaker by now.”

“What I see, is that you are acting like a jealous ex that can’t handle the fact that I have other friends. You and me, Floki, we have known each other our whole lives. You’re my wingman, you know I have nothing but love and respect for you.”

“Yet you cast me aside for a stranger who doesn’t even exist. You’re falling for a ghost, Ragnar, he’s nothing but a shadow. He’s not on Twitter, not on Instagram, not even om Facebook. We know nothing about him, nothing at all, and yet, you seem to ignore all that, just so you can stare into his pretty eyes. You and Lagertha both, he has put you under some form of spell and it’s tearing me apart to see the two of you like this.”

Ragnar signed. They were getting nowhere.

“You are my best friend, Floki, and I love you like a brother, I need you on my side in all things. Including this. Athelstan is a part of our lives now, and you need to come to terms with that.”

Floki sat still, staring at him for a few moments, and for the frist time, Ragnar was worried about what he might be thinking. No one really knew with Floki, he wasn’t really 100 %, but Ragnar had never actually felt worried around him before. Floki was loyal, but he could be unpredictable. Ragnar had to make sure to keep some distance between Floki and Athelstan for a while. Not that he didn’t trust his friend, it was just that… He didn’t really trust him!

“Of course, Ragnar!” Floki said, eventually, grinning at him. “I will do as you say!”

Somehow, that didn't make Ragnar any less worried.

\--- --- --- ---

Gyda’s gravestone wasn’t much to look at. Just a tiny stone with her name and the date of her birth. As if Lagertha would ever forget that date. No matter what happened in the future, or how old she got, she would never forget.

She sat down, Athelstan doing the same, and gently touched the name on the stone.

“Hey, sweetheart”, she whispered, fighting with every cell in her body to keep her voice in check, “I brought a friend with me. His name is Athelstan.”

She looked over at Althie as she finished, and her heart stopped at the look of understanding and sympathy in his eyes. Had he figured it out already? Did he know? He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. It was written all over his face, and Lagertha forced herself to look at the daisies in her hand, to get away from that look.

“I come here every now and then when I need a moment to myself. She’s a very good listener.”

It was getting harder and harder to form any words, so she stopped. Athelstan moved in a bit closer, put his arm around her shoulders and Lagertha allowed herself to lean in closer, her head fitting perfectly under his chin.

“I’m sorry!” he said again and that’s when tears started running down her face.


	9. Chapter 9

”We’ll hang out here while the boys have their little chat.” Lagertha said, unlocking the door to her house and stepping aside to allow Athelstan to enter. “Make yourself comfortable!”

“You think they’re still talking?” Athelstan took his time, checking out every room in the house, admiring everything from the furniture to the curtains, before settling down on the couch in the living room.

“They have some serious issues to discuss, Althie, it could be a while.” Lagertha went straight to the kitchen to get something cold to drink. “You want something?”

“I’m good! I don’t understand why Floki doesn’t like me, I haven’t done anything to wrong him.”

“You stole Ragnar from him, sweetie!” Lagertha came to sit next to him on the couch, setting her cola down on the table in front of them. “At least, that’s how Floki sees it. He’s jealous. Ragnar might not realize that just yet, but yeah, that boy is definitely jealous of you.” 

Athelstan opened his mouth to protest, but Lagertha wasn’t done.

“You have to try and understand Floki, he has been Ragnar’s best friend since… forever, thick as thieves, attached to the hip, whatever you want to call it… And then, you come along, and Floki has to take a backseat and watch his best friend spend time with someone else. I know it’s not your fault, but to Floki, you are the reason that Ragnar doesn’t play with him anymore.”

“I never meant to hurt anyone, Lagertha.”

“No, sweetie, I know, it’s not you, this is all on Floki. He’s not right in the head, you see, no one really knows what happened to him, but… That’s what makes him a bit unpredictable. And I think that is why he spiked your drink.”

“I understand…”

Lagertha took pity on the poor boy and decided to change the subject.

“Alright, enough beating around the bush, tell me what really happened with you and Ragnar last night.”

Athelstan whipped his head around to stare at her.

“What? What do you mean?”

“You’re not seriously trying to tell me that all you two did was a jerk-off session? I’m not buying it. So, spill!”

She looked at him so expectantly that Athelstan almost felt bad that he had to tell the truth.

“I… I’m sorry to disappoint you, Lagertha, but… It happened exactly like Ragnar said.”

“Please, not even a blowjob?”

His cheeks turned bright red.

“No…”

Lagertha looked at him for a few seconds and they both knew what she was going to ask, even before she opened her mouth.

“Have you ever had a blowjob, Althie?”

“I… No, but…”

“But you want one? Or… you want Ragnar to have one? You want to suck him off, is that it?”

“Christ, Lags…”

She smiled gently at his discomfort, she knew him well enough to know that he didn’t really mind her asking, he was just new to this, that’s all.

“Hey, sweetie, it’s ok, I don’t blame you, that thing is mouthwatering, isn’t it? Tell you what…”

And with that, she pushed the table away, went down on her knees on the floor and positioned herself between Athelstan’s legs, the clear evidence of his interest already pushing against his pants.

“Wha… What are you doing?!”

“Just relax, ok? I’m gonna give you a few tips!”

She reached up, unbuttoned his pants and started pulling at them and Athelstan, probably without even realizing that he was doing it, lifted himself up a bit to help her. Only, Lagertha wasn’t satisfied with just his pants. As soon as she had pulled them off, she went for his underwear, gently teasing his erection with her fingers.

“I…"

“Now, when you go down on a guy, don’t go straight for the prize, start by teasing him a bit… like this…” She pulled down his underwear, enjoying the little gasp he made as she pulled them down and threw then on the floor. “Make sure he’s nice and hard… Just like you, fuck, that’s so beautiful… and stroke his cock for a bit, nice and slow, you see? … "

“…Lags…

She couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Easy, my little priest, you need to pay attention here… Also, before you take him in your mouth, remember to watch the teeth. Some guys might like it rough; Ragnar is not one of those guys. Then, start with the head, just… wrap your lips around it… and make it wet… before you start going further down, a little bit at a time, and then just… keep going… like this…”

“Oh, god…”

It didn’t take long for her to notice what moves worked best on her precious virgin and she kept working him, his moaning sending jolts of pleasure down between her legs. Every time she saw him stick out his tongue to wet his lips, her pussy would get even wetter. As soon as this lesson was done, he was going to put that tongue to good use, if she had any say in it.

When she saw him getting closer to climax, she pulled back a bit, grinning wickedly at the look on his face. Gods, he was absolutely gorgeous like this. 

“When you can tell that he’s ready to blow, you speed up, listen for his instructions, and then, when he’s too far gone to speak, you look up at him… like this…”

She went down on him again, bobbing her head up and down, faster than before, and then, through barely lowered lashes, she looked up at him with all the love and devotion in the world in her eyes, all of it directed at him.

It worked like a charm, just like it did with Ragnar. Athelstan didn’t even have time to give her a warning; he groaned loudly and came, spurts of hot cum shooting down her throat. She had been expecting it, though, and only gagged for a second.

Giving him a few minutes to catch his breath, she sat back up on the couch, legs crossed, a pleased smirk on her lips.

“Of course”, she said, clearing her throat a bit, “it’s completely up to you if you want to swallow or not. But if you do, and you’re new, remember to have a glass of water close by to clear your throat after. And being a talented singer, like yourself, you might want to hold off on the swallowing, at least for a while.”

The throbbing between her legs refused to diminish; if anything, it had only gotten worse after she watched Athelstan come, feeling him lose control completely, and now, she wanted some for herself.

Athelstan was slowly coming back to himself, even though he still looked a bit dazed, and there was something so endearing about him, despite what she had just done to him.

“So, you think you learned your lesson?”

He nodded, slightly and turned his head to look at her. Now that she had his attention, she uncrossed her legs, spreading them. There was no way he wouldn’t get the message. It was time to show what he had learned. She saw the way his eyes left her face and traveled down her body towards her crotch, and to his credit, the only reaction he gave was a raised eyebrow.

“My queen”, he acknowledged, sliding down from the couch to go sit comfortably between her legs, looking up her skirt. For some reason, he liked calling her that, and Lagertha not only enjoyed it, she encouraged it. It felt… right, she was a queen, just like Ragnar was her king. Althie was their priest, and Floki… What was Floki?

Right! Floki was the boat builder!

Before she could even begin to question why she had given Floki that particular role, Althie started pulling down her soaked panties and she forgot what she was thinking about.

“Now, remember what we talked about”, she half whispered, “going down on a woman requires almost the same techniques as when you do it on a guy, just…” her legs shook a bit in anticipation as Athelstan moved in closer, “less teasing, and more…”

Althie dove right in, his head completely hidden by her skirt as he started licking her wet pussy, making the young girl cry out in surprise. She had somehow thought that she would be able to keep the lesson going while he went down on her. That wasn’t happening! But she did notice that he was using some of the tricks she had taught him, and it made her feel proud. 

For a beginner, he was doing a pretty decent job, and even though he was only using his tongue, and not his fingers, the way she preferred it, she had a sneaking suspicion that he was, eventually, going to make her cum. She moaned slightly, to show him that she was enjoying it and that he was doing it right. Encouragement was important, she knew that from experience.

The only downside was that his head was hidden by her skirt and she couldn’t watch him as he went, just feel, but somehow, that worked, too. It added a sense of mystery, like there was a complete stranger between her legs, and damn it, if that didn’t make her even hotter. She felt her whole body shake as his tongue went in deeper, he was driving her crazy and she was loving every second of it. With a bit of practice, he would be as skilled as Ragnar. She allowed herself the fantasy of both Ragnar and Althie using her, and it was such a powerful image that it drove her almost straight to the edge. There was no time to remind Althie of the Look, or anything, really, she tumbled over the edge, crying out Athelstan’s name as she fell, her whole body moving as she rode the waves of orgasm, and Athelstan did not stop!

His tongue kept on working, lapping up her juices like a cat, like he had no intention of ever stopping and Lagertha thought the waves would never cease, she felt like she was trapped in a permanent state of orgasmic bliss for hours on end and it made her want to scream and cry and laugh and fly.

It wasn’t until she finally started to come down, that Athelstan slowed down and after a while he pulled her skirt back and looked up at her, like the most innocent puppy, his face glistening.

When they finally got together, all three of them… Lagertha wasn’t all that certain that she would be able to survive that.


End file.
